


Koi no Yokan

by elvengypsypheonix



Series: Yuánfèn [1]
Category: Reign (TV)
Genre: F/M, Past Abuse, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-07-28 17:02:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 74,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16246001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elvengypsypheonix/pseuds/elvengypsypheonix
Summary: Rosemary had lived a quiet life, happy to be in the background, not feeling a part of the world she lived in. She preferred older ways of doing things, of relationships; no doubt in a large part due to the dreams that had haunted her all her life. Dreams of a time long past, and a love that no living breathing person could live up to.Then, one day she met a boy named Andrew, who lived up to all her old-fashioned dreams of romance. And it was wonderful.Until the day she realized Andrew was the man of her dreams, literally.





	1. Prologue

**:-:-:-:-:-:  
** **Prologue  
** **:-:-:-:-:-:**

 

She lived a quiet life. Some might say she was an introvert, those who liked to have a label for everything, some might even go as far to guess she was antisocial. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the company of others, she did…

In moderation.

  
It was more she didn't care so much for society as a whole. Oh, she could appreciate much of the modern technological advances, even had as many gadgets as the next person. She had close friends both living in the county she physically resided, and across the globe thanks to those same modern technologies. It was the other things in this modern time, the way people treated each other, that she disliked.

  
The way people would yell at each other instead of trying to have a civilized conversation about what was bothering them. How children would talk to adults like they had watched their elders talk to each other, every other word a profanity or some word that at least showed how little respect they had for each other, for themselves. She listened to stories of women dating multiple men, men dating multiple women, all while riding the bus. Bad enough that these women seemed to not think they were a prize to be cherished by one man, or vice versa, but to just blab your business where everyone including children had to listen, it left her shaking her head. Even the little things, how some of her friends would visit and spend half the visit on their phones instead of simply hanging out nowadays. She often found herself thinking back to her childhood, remembering a time before anything more than basic computers and simple video games, when visits meant spending time together; maybe talking, maybe playing a game or watching a movie or listening to music, but focused on those around you until you had to go your separate ways.

  
She missed it.

  
She knew people considered her old-fashioned, she didn't mind, logically knew that there were others out there who had to think like she did, that chivalry in its romanticized form might have never truly existed, but some aspect of it must still exist. She just had a feeling from where she was, what she saw and heard on a daily basis, she must be a dying breed. So, she enjoyed her quiet solitude, enjoyed her hours spent home alone just as much as she enjoyed going to a movie or spending a day out shopping with her friends when one occurred, rarely admittedly.

  
If her friends and family got frustrated, that they couldn't convince her to give dating a try, well they were slowly getting used to the fact she had no interest in modern dating. Even if some liked to blame it on her childhood instead. Her old-fashioned tendencies were too outdated for Internet dating or bar hopping. And no, she just wasn't interested in any of the guys at the community college she studied at, all of them too caught up in the college scene themselves. People would surely accept her as she was, eventually. They'd have to accept that she was happy on her own, with her old-fashioned ways.

  
And if she kept quiet, the dreams she had been having since she was young, the dreams she often thought were more real than any memory, who could fault her? Even if they were part of what often floated through her mind as she saw a couple having a public argument, or watching a child disrespect it's elders, or so many things accepted as commonplace in today's world. She'd have a moment, just a moment, where she'd remember that lifetime of dreams, of discussions saved for behind closed doors to avoid unwanted listeners, of watching children look at their parents with respect and often a bit of hero worship, of the honor of a woman being her virtue and the greatest sign of a man's heart his faithfulness in a time when men's fidelity wasn't required.

  
Sadly, then she would remember that she wasn't a fine lady roaming a European Court of centuries ago, she was simply Rosemary Douglas living in 21st century America. And that truly sucked, because no matter how horribly her dreams sometimes ended, the blood and the pain, how much she'd sometimes wake with a migraine or sure her heart physically ached, she knew she'd give anything to know the love she saw in eyes the color of the sky that only existed in her dreams, in that far away old-fashioned world.


	2. Chapter 1

:-:-:-:-:-:  
**Chapter 1  
** **:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** **Saturday, January 17** **th,** **2015  
** **Vallejo, California  
** **12:00 p.m.  
  
** **:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** Rosemary slowly became aware of the sound of an annoying beeping in her headphones, her brain fully emerging from the haze her music and the hours of sitting and studying in the cubby hole she had claimed at the library had put her in. Reaching out, she dismissed the alarm, started the task of cleaning up her tablet and keyboard, notebooks and writing instruments. It was autopilot, the cleanup as she put her things in her bag, neatly stacked the reference books she had been using to put on the return desk, gathered her own couple of books so she could leave. **  
  
** She waved at Susan, the librarian behind the checkout counter, as she passed, heading out the main doors of the Vallejo public library’s main branch. Vallejo was a former Navy town, across the Bay from San Francisco, struggling to reclaim itself after the loss of the military base two decades past. She had grown up in the same county, choosing to settle in Vallejo much to some of her friends’ amazement. She loved the waterfront though, watching the city try to bring itself back to life. Then, she had always loved being near water, maybe after she finished college, she'd try to get a teaching job somewhere along the coast, somewhere near where the cliffs met the Pacific Ocean. It was a nice dream, for now though she had the waterfront, and her day job as a barista at the only coffee shop along the waterfront. **  
  
** She had just enough time to get home, eat and get ready, before she had to be back at work, so she quietly made her way along the familiar paths through the grass around the library, avoiding the few others out and about on a Saturday either to enjoy the weather, go to the farmer's market, or possibly waiting for the next ferry to The City. Hearing a large collection of voices, she glanced up to see a group of ten guys, late teens or early twenties, like herself, headed her way and taking up the entirety of the double-wide sidewalk as they goofed around. **  
  
** Rolling her eyes, she shifted herself further to the edge, watching to see if they would clear a path, or if she would have to go onto the grass, giving up and moving to the grass at the last minute. She missed manners, _desperately_ , she rolled her eyes again, was already going back to her usual task of mostly looking at the ground while walking when she noticed him. **  
  
** His blonde hair shone golden in the sun, curls hanging around his face haphazardly, he was taller than her, not the tallest in his group though, and laughing at something a friend said, though he wasn't all over the sidewalk as the others were. He looked her way, smile slipping as he took in her walking on the grass to avoid the group directly in front of him, and she was caught in just how blue his eyes were. **  
  
** She watched him shake his head slightly, rush to catch his friends and vaguely heard him start complaining about needing to share the sidewalk. She couldn't help watching after him a moment, as her brain processed everything, as she finally realized she had quietly said something as he walked by. **  
  
** “Who the hell is Francis?” she asked herself, turning back towards home and picking up her pace. **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
** **  
Saturday, January 17** **th** **, 2015  
** **Vallejo, California  
** **4:25 p.m.  
  
** **:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “We're going to need more ginger peach made,” Kendall spoke, drawing her attention from where she was prepping a strawberry banana smoothie. **  
  
** “I'll get it after this,” Rosemary answered quickly, moving about the familiar motions as her brain started contemplating the tea. **  
  
** “Thanks, I got to start cleanup in back, and if we don't have that tea for opening…” **  
  
** “I know, Jack will be on a rampage, don't worry,” she sent the other girl a smile, pouring the smoothie in a cup, adding a lid and grabbing a straw as she set it on the counter, “Strawberry banana smoothie for Dana,” she called out, turning away seconds later to rinse out the blender. **  
  
** “Hey Rosemary,” Mike stuck his head out of the kitchen, she caught sight of the cleaning supplies in his hand before noting his nod to the register behind her back. **  
  
** She nodded almost imperceptibly, grabbed a towel to dry her hands and spun towards the register, “Hi, how can I help you?” she asked before she even noticed the large group from earlier had drifted in and was filling the lobby, but it was that same blonde standing directly in front of her. She managed to keep her smile as she stepped up to the register. **  
  
** “Hi,” he spoke in a soft voice, a small smile playing around lips that were fairly pink for a boy but seemed to work with his face. “So, just to warn you I'm ordering a lot…” **  
  
** “That's fine,” she agreed, “What can I get you?” **  
  
** “Can we get three cans of coke, a can of sprite, three medium iced coffees, a strawberry smoothie, a raspberry Italian soda, and an iced tea,” he ticked off, holding up six fingers by the time he was done. **  
  
** “Okay, so three cokes, a sprite, three medium iced coffee, strawberry smoothie, did you want cream in the Italian soda or whip cream on top?” She asked as she went over the list. **  
  
** Blonde guy paused, looked over at the group, “Hey Jess, want an Italian soda or Italian cream soda? And want whip cream on it?” **  
  
** “Italian cream and no,” was called back, and she was already putting it in the register when he turned back, smiled as he saw what she was doing. **  
  
** “So, about the tea, what kind would you like?” she looked up at him, then turned slightly to point at the sign behind her. **  
  
** “Oh, wow,” he muttered, and she waited as he looked it over, “I guess I'll take the ginger peach,” he answered slowly, “is it any good?” **  
  
** She smiled, it was the only tea she drank at work, “I think so, especially when it's nice like today. We don't have any premade though, I'll have to brew a fresh cup…” she trailed off, waiting to see his answer. **  
  
** “That's fine, there's what thirty minutes until the next ferry right?” **  
  
** She glanced at the clock while adding the tea, “Yes, you have plenty of time,” she looked up at him then, “Just the drinks?” she asked, even as she was grabbing the four iced drink cups so she could start labeling them. **  
  
** “Afraid not,” he admitted with a sheepish tone and a light chuckle. **  
  
** “Right,” she capped the pen, setting the cups off to the side, grateful to see Kendall grab them and start working on them. “What else?” **  
  
** “Three turkey wraps,” he began, and she quickly snagged the pad of paper for sandwiches and started writing, “two grilled cheeses on sourdough, four chocolate chip cookies, three s'mores cookies, two brownies, and a chocolate croissant.” **  
  
** She had already set the order pad aside, was inputting the other baked goods, then looked up at him as he finished. **  
  
** “That's it,” he confirmed the unasked question, she couldn't help but smile at the still sheepish look on his face. **  
  
** “No problem,” she gave him the total, took the card he handed over and swiped it, then handed it back before turning the screen around so he could sign. As he did, she was already heading towards the bakery display, “To go since you are taking the ferry?” **  
  
** “Please,” he answered, leaning against the counter while she put the croissant in a bag and brought it over. **  
  
** “Receipt?” she asked as she swung the screen back around, seeing he had ignored the button. **  
  
** “Nah, I'm good.” **  
  
** She nodded, moved back to get the cookies in bags, the pre-made turkey wraps; she handed those to him, watched as he called out to his friends to come get everything except one wrap and the croissant. Thankfully no one else seemed to be coming in now, so she took the minute to get his teabag prepped and steeping, then focused on getting the sandwiches made and on the panini press. By then the small timer for the tea was calling, and she stripped off her gloves and hurried over, turning it off as she walked past to grab a cup and fill it with ice, poured the hot tea in and added more ice. **  
  
** Turning she found him still waiting, added a lid and grabbed a straw to pass to him, “The sandwiches have another couple of minutes,” she explained quietly. **  
  
** “Thanks,” he answered with an easy smile, she couldn't help the momentary feeling that she had seen that smile before, but shook it off as she turned to go back to work. **  
  
** Ten minutes later she had finished the sandwiches and passed them to the blonde, wished him a good evening and was in back making tea while Kendall packed up the bakery and Mike had started cleaning the coffee machines. **  
  
** “Spill,” Kendall demanded, coming in with a bin filled with cookies. **  
  
** “Spill what?” Rosemary looked over at her, then went back to her various pitchers of tea. **  
  
** “The hot blonde,” Kendall rolled her eyes and looked at her expectantly. “Oh, come on Rose, he watched you the _entire_ time you made those sandwiches. And he's still out there, watching the doorway here while his friends went to get in line.” **  
  
** She looked up at her coworker in surprise, “Seriously?” she moved just enough to see the doorway, caught the glimpse of blonde hair. “Huh…” **  
  
** “Huh, all you say is huh…” Kendall's hands flew into the air. “You are crazy, he's seriously hot and you're just like ‘ _oh, no big_ '.” **  
  
** “What?” Rosemary looked at the other woman, bewilderment no doubt showing on her face, “I've never seen him before today, and he has a ferry to catch. I've got work to finish up, what do you expect me to do?” **  
  
** “Act like any normal red-blooded female and go talk to him, flirt a bit. Mike won't care,” Kendall instructed, taking the pitcher from her hands. “Out, that's an order…” **  
  
** “But…” Rosemary began. **  
  
** “Out!” **  
  
** Shaking her head, she wisely heads towards the door, grabbing the cleaning rag as she did, she could work on cleaning up tables early. As she emerged, she realized Kendall was right, blonde guy was still here, but went to one of the tables furthest from the door and started straightening up. **  
  
** “Hi.” **  
  
** She hadn’t realized he had come over, as she looked up at to find him standing a few steps away, his hands in his back pockets as he watched her. “Hi,” she answered, before flipping the chair up on the table. **  
  
** “Look, I just… I recognize you from earlier,” he began, paused as she looked back up at him, “the sidewalk across the street,” he continued, nodding past where she stood towards the library. **  
  
** “I recognized you and your friends too,” she agreed, not sure where this was headed. **  
  
** “I just wanted to apologize, it was really rude of all my friends to take up the sidewalk like that…” he spoke quickly, watching her. **  
  
** “Oh,” she straightened and looked at him, “Oh it’s fine,” she tried to brush it off, as she often did. People taking up the entirety of the sidewalk wasn’t exactly something new. **  
  
** “No, it’s not,” he countered quietly, his head tilting to the side as he watched her. **  
  
** She sighed, gave a half shrug, “Well, it’s normal,” she argued, “And it’s fine for that reason, you shouldn’t feel bad on your friends’ behalf.” **  
  
** “Maybe,” he agreed, “but you shouldn’t have had to walk on the grass just because there were a bunch of idiots taking up the sidewalk. That you deserve an apology for, so I’m sorry.” **  
  
** She couldn’t help but smile, “That’s the first time I’ve ever had an apology for people taking up the sidewalk,” she admitted, focusing fully on him a second later, “Still don’t think it’s _your_ job, but thank you, she answered sincerely. **  
  
** “You’re welcome,” he spoke back softly, a smile playing around his lips. “I…” **  
  
** “Need to go catch your ferry,” she looked over at the dock where the ferry was loading. “Have a good trip.” **  
  
** He had looked over as well, then back at her and she wasn’t sure what was in his eyes, before he nodded his head. “Thanks. Have a good night.” **  
  
** “You too,” she responded, watching him rush out to get in line. She was still watching as he glanced back once, before he went through the gate, onto the actual dock to get on the ferry. **  
  
** “Well?” Kendall demanded as she came up on Rosemary’s side. **  
  
** “He wanted to apologize, I ran into him and his friends this afternoon leaving the library. They had taken up the entire sidewalk, so I had to walk on the grass. He apologized for his friends.” **  
  
** “Wow, that’s something you don’t hear every day,” Kendall blinked before looking back at her as she worked on the rest of the chairs for the table and started towards the next. “I think he might like you…” **  
  
** “I think you’re ridiculous,” she countered, “Start helping me so we can go home.” **  
  
** “You, are crazy,” Kendall declared, but she started working just the same. **  
  
** Rosemary watched her for a minute, then went about her own work. She knew what Kendall was referring to, that a cute guy had taken the time to apologize for his friends, and she had done nothing to try to get his number like Kendall would have, or half a dozen other females of the day. Except she didn’t have the ability to be that bold, that forward. Old-fashioned thoughts, old-fashioned beliefs, and as Kendall and plenty of others liked to point out, she was unlikely to find a guy if she didn’t get out there and make the effort. **  
  
** As cute as she thought the blonde was, and she definitely did think he was cute, even if she still wasn’t sure where the name Francis had come from, she couldn’t be that bold or forward. It just wasn’t in her. **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** **Saturday, February 14** **th** **, 2015  
** **Vallejo, California  
** **10:15 a.m.  
  
** **:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “Blondie is back,” Kendall spoke as she walked past Rosemary. Rosemary looked up from where she was pulling a cookie sheet out of the oven, caught sight of the now familiar blonde hair in line at the register, before focusing back on the hot pan in her hands. “Oh, don’t give me that,” Kendall groaned as she turned to flounce back towards the front, “It _has_ to affect you!” she hissed back before disappearing to handle the register. **  
  
** Four weeks now since she had first seen him, and without fail every Saturday since he had arrived on the ten a.m. ferry and stayed at the cafe until closing to catch the last ferry back to San Francisco. Whether she was working opening or closing, she had reports from Kendall and Kendall’s other spies that she had recruited from their co-workers to confirm that he was there. He’d start his day with a coffee or tea and a pastry, pulling out a laptop and doing things on it until lunchtime when he’d get a turkey wrap and a ginger peach iced tea. Midway through the afternoon, he’d get another ginger peach tea and a sweet pastry, often a chocolate croissant, and for the most part seemed lost in whatever he was doing on his laptop. Except Kendall and the other girls were always eager to inform her of how often they caught him watching her as she worked whenever she was on shift. **  
  
** She was torn between finding it creepy and finding him still amazingly cute. She had really not had much more conversation with him beyond hello, goodbye, and how are you; busy as she was with work. She had picked up that he was spending his days working on his own studies, that he lived in the city and studied engineering at SF State. And over time she had picked up that his name was Drew, though that was a piece of information gleaned from Kendall and her network. **  
  
** It was Valentine’s Day, and when she had walked in that morning, she’d half expected him not to be there today. Someone as good looking as him had to have a girlfriend back in San Francisco eager to spend the day with him. And yet, there he was, in line as she took cookies out of the oven. **  
  
** She went about her day as usual, she was on shift until noon, so was busy as could be as she went about her job. She noted he was only reading today, but had little interaction. When she got off at noon, she snagged a s'mores cookie and a ginger peach tea, and bid farewell to the others, and was heading out the building a minute later, intent on going to the farmer’s market when she heard her name. **  
  
** She paused, looked behind her to see him coming out after her in a rush, and simply blinked a few times, not entirely sure what was happening here. “Thank god,” he spoke as he reached her, “I was hoping to catch you, but you move fast when you want to.” **  
  
** “Sorry,” she answered automatically, adjusting her bag before she reached up with her cup free hand to brush her hair behind her ear, “Farmer’s market closes at two, so if I’m going to get there before everything good is gone, I usually have to hurry.” she shrugged slightly, glancing towards downtown before focusing back on him, “Is there something I could help you with?” **  
  
** “Actually,” he began with a small smile, one hand raising to rub at the back of his neck, “I was wondering if you had any plans for the day…” **  
  
** Rosemary blinked up at him, “What?” she blurted out, caught herself and shook her head slightly, “Sorry, that was rude, it’s just… she glanced around, half expecting Kendall to jump out with a camera and shout ‘gotcha’, “It’s Valentine’s Day, don’t you already have plans or something?” **  
  
** “No,” he responded, and whatever sheepishness he had seemed to have was gone as his hand had disappeared behind his back and he had what she’d almost guess was a smirk. **  
  
** “But…” she started, glancing around again, she seriously was looking for someone with that camera, “why would you want to spend the day with me?” she asked softly, returning her eyes to him with a small frown. “We barely know each other…” **  
  
** “And I’d like to change that,” he countered just as softly, before taking a step back and bending at the waist, “Milady, my name is Andrew,” he spoke before straightening and suddenly in his hands was a white rose she hadn’t noticed before. “Would you do me the honor of spending the day with me so we might get to know one another better?” **  
  
** Rosemary looked between him and the rose, then back again, “I… I don’t know what to say…” she trailed off, still in a fair amount of shock that he had actually bowed to her and presented her with a flower. If Kendall jumped out with a camera, it would be completely worth it to be able to say someone did that… **  
  
** “Say yes…” he prompted, “At least whatever time you can spare, even if it’s just while you’re shopping.” **  
  
** She blinked, then slowly reached out to take the rose, “Alright sir,” she began, feeling a smile spread across her lips as she looked back up at him, “Yes. And my name is Rosemary, though I had heard you called Drew before now.” **  
  
** “Well, I figured if we were going to do this right, I should tell you my name, not just my nickname,” Andrew countered with a smile. “Do you prefer Rose or Rosemary?” **  
  
** “Honestly, I go by my full name, I have a cousin named Rose, it's too confusing if we were both Rose. Annoys people who would love to shorten it to Rose,” she admitted with a shrug, **  
  
** “Well then, Rosemary,” he held out an arm, “Shall we?” **  
  
** She smiled again, took a moment to wind the stem of the rose in the loops of her crocheted bag before moving her tea to the hand whose arm had her bag, and slipped her now free arm into the crook of his. “So farmer’s market is just up Georgia,” she explained nodding towards the light and he started to move, she falling in step with him. “As it happens, my afternoon is free, so I suppose we can spend time until you have to catch your ferry back, or you get sick of me.” **  
  
** Andrew chuckled as he pushed the button to activate the crosswalk, “I very much doubt that will happen.” **  
  
** “Well, you don’t know me, I’ve been accused of being boring,” she countered, before taking a sip of her tea. **  
  
** “Let me be the judge of that,” he decided as the annoying beeping started, indicating they could cross, and they started out across the road. “So, my full name is Andrew Johnson, I’m in my second year at SF State.” **  
  
** “I’m hoping to transfer there in the fall,” she admitted, “Right now I’m finishing up my Associates at Solano.” **  
  
** “What are you studying?” **  
  
** “History for my degree, I’m hoping to teach history someday.” **  
  
** “Teacher, braver than me,” Andrew chuckled, “So middle school or high school, or are you thinking college?” **  
  
** “Middle school, preferably, I’ll take high school if need be. I’m hoping to find a small school somewhere, something quiet. In the meantime, I finish my Associates this semester, then hopefully I’ll spend two years at SF State on my bachelor, and then I’ve got the rest of the five-year plan to worry about to meet the requirements to get the teaching credentials,” she explained as they walked. **  
  
** “And you work as a barista while working on your teaching dream.” **  
  
** “Yes, I make coffee by the dozen, even though I can’t stand to drink the stuff myself,” Rosemary laughed. **  
  
** “Really?” Andrew shot her a look of surprise. **  
  
** “Really, I hate the taste of coffee, I can taste it in something with even small amounts like mud pie. My friends think I’m crazy, but I taste it. Also don’t eat dark chocolate, same issue, too bitter.” **  
  
** “Huh,” Andrew nodded slowly, “Good to know.” She looked up at him quickly, wondering what he meant before he continued, “I don’t like white chocolate or blueberries. To be honest, I prefer tea to coffee, but sometimes the pick me up is needed, you know?” **  
  
** “I’ve seen people need that pick me up,” she agreed, “So no blueberries, I can’t say I disagree with that one, I prefer blackberries.” **  
  
** “Really?” he asked with a smile, and they started a back and forth of foods they liked and disliked as they wandered through the market and she picked up her fruit and vegetables for the week. **  
  
** On the way back out, as he insisted on carrying half of her purchases, they stopped and raided the hot foods, grabbing teriyaki steak on a stick for both of them, and she led him to a quiet spot near the library where they could eat their lunch and continue talking. Foods moved to movies, finding a number of common interests there, then on to music, admittedly with less commonality in their interests. **  
  
** “I can’t imagine what it’s like growing up with siblings, let alone three,” Rosemary shook her head as they wandered along the waterfront. **  
  
** “Life has never been dull,” Andrew laughed, “I was two and a half when Rachel was born, so I can’t remember her not being there. It was different when Ari came along, I was in fourth grade and ten, so that was a big difference, then Donnie came three years later. It was stranger having a baby in the house when I was thirteen than it had been at ten. And yeah, we’ve had our ups and downs, Rachel and I especially, Ari and Donnie are a lot like Rach and me in that way. I wouldn’t trade them though.” **  
  
** “You’re lucky,” she voiced quietly, “It has only ever been my mother and I,” she began, “well, for a moment in time I had a stepfather, but they divorced six years ago, and it’s just been us since. The closest to a sibling I ever got is my third cousin Rose in England.” **  
  
** “Did your stepfather not stay in contact after the divorce?” Andrew asked with a frown. **  
  
** “No,” she answered quickly, “I don’t want anything to do with him anyway, so it’s fine.” **  
  
** “What about your father?” **  
  
** “Never had one,” Rosemary explained as she stopped at the corner, turned them so they’d be crossing the street. “Mom never explained, I haven’t asked.” **  
  
** “Wow,” he murmured as they crossed the street, “I can’t quite imagine that situation,” he admitted as they turned to continue down the road. **  
  
** “It’s life,” she shrugged. “It would only lead to a fight, so why push it. My mother and I have a lot of things that we don’t talk about, makes it easier, for both of us I think, at least it does for me.” **  
  
** He nodded, falling silent as she turned them down the sidewalk onto a street. **  
  
** “Well, this is me,” she spoke up when they arrived at a house a block later, “let me go get all this put inside, and we can head back towards the ferry building…” she took her bags, before heading to unlock the door to the basement apartment she had, watching as he leaned against the retaining wall to wait. Quickly she went inside, got the perishables put in her fridge, left the non-perishables to be dealt with later before she made the familiar race to the door against her cat. Slipping back outside, she locked up and turned to find him busy looking at the roses growing in the yard. **  
  
** “You have crystals,” he voiced as she came closer, indicating the various decorations in among the roses and other plants, crystals of various colors and sizes hanging from tree branches that were stuck in the ground. **  
  
** “A friend owns the upstairs, rents the downstairs to me,” Rosemary began, nodding towards the porch up the stairs, “when her grandmother took down the rose bramble those pink climbing roses over there,” she pointed towards the front yard as opposed to the side yard they were facing,” had formed from years of being left to grow wild, she made these,” she waved towards the crystals. “You should see them in summer when the sun is high, it looks like there are fairies flying around all the flowers.” **  
  
** “Maybe I’ll come back to see for myself,” Andrew looked down at her with a smile. **  
  
** She couldn’t help but smile back, “Maybe you’ll get an invite,” she countered, mentally pausing afterward to question where that had come from. Though the way his smile had grown had made it worth it. **  
  
** “Shall we?” he asked, holding his arm out once more. **  
  
** “You know, you have to be the first guy I’ve ever seen do this,” she spoke, nodding towards her arm in his. **  
  
** “What can I say, my mother raised me to be a little old-fashioned I guess,” he shrugged as they started to walk back the way they had come. “I like the old pleasantries though, seemed a lot more civilized than some of the ways people interact today.” **  
  
** “Andrew, I think you just became my favorite person,” she couldn’t help saying, enjoying his laughter that followed her statement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to post updates no more than a week apart, I just wanted to get the first chapter up with the Prologue to give a bit more for people to sink their teeth in and get an idea of what was happening.


	3. Chapter 2

**:-:-:-:-:-:  
****Chapter 2  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** February 15th, 2015  
  
Dearest Rosie,  
  
How are things in Brighton? Did you pass that exam you were worried about? I'm sure you did, you always seem to worry more than needed.  
  
So what did you and Richard do yesterday? What great scheme did he come up with this year? I had an interesting day yesterday myself. Do you remember the boy I told you about, who apologized for his friends a few weeks ago, my little proof chivalry isn't completely dead… Well, he was at work again yesterday and followed me out after shift to ask if I would spend the day with him so we could get to know each other.  
  
He even had a white rose to give me and bowed as he introduced himself. It was so sweet. His name is Andrew Johnson, and he attends SF State working towards his degree in engineering. He's from Long Beach, the oldest of four. Can you imagine three you get siblings?  
  
It was a wonderful afternoon, he walked through the farmer's market with me and then walked home helping with my stuff. He waited outside while I dashed inside to put stuff away, and I walked with him back downtown to the ferry. We spent all afternoon talking, I think I made a new friend. I know you're thinking it’s about time I made a friend, not just an acquaintance as you like to call my co-workers.  
  
Got to run, laundry is calling my name. Hope you have a wonderful week and don't overstress about school.  
  
Love,  
Mary  
  
P.S. When are we going to Disney World?  
  
**:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** March 28th, 2015  
  
Dearest Mary,  
  
We told Richard's Mum today, about the engagement. I know it's horrible it took us six weeks, but you truly don't understand how much that woman terrifies me. Which I know is completely daft, I'm Rose Lynn Elizabeth Douglas, I am a strong, capable, intelligent woman who is set to inherit more than Adelaide Montgomery makes in a year, and she still terrifies me. Of course, we both know the money doesn't mean a thing to me beyond a way to keep the family home, we all gave up on social standing generations back, but you'd think I would be able to face the woman who birthed and raised the man I love…  
  
Well, obviously I couldn't. We ran out of reasons to put it off though, especially as she showed up unannounced in Brighton to visit Richard yesterday. I hate when she goes that. Not that I think she shouldn't visit her son, however, she should warn him she's coming so he has time to clear his schedule so she won't have a reason to complain how he never has time for her. Remind me to never do that to my own littles one day, especially when they are grown-up littles.  
  
She didn't take the news well. Even less when we explained we got engaged now but don't plan to wed until after we finish our schooling. We’re thinking it will be in 2017. I'm not sure which she is more upset about, the fact we got engaged or now that while we are engaged, we plan to wait. I don't think I'll ever understand her.  
  
We narrowed it down to December, the Winter Solstice. You will be able to make it, right? I figure just plan on being in England your entire winter break from your first year teaching. And all you have to do is get here. Father is insistent you will stay at the family home, and spend the New Year with him while Richard and I are on our trip. I think he has been looking forward to finally meeting you as much as I have. and if they are still alive, which knowing how stubborn they are they will be, Grandmother and Grandfather will be back from the continent, I know they wanted you to visit years ago so I suspect you will have plenty to keep you busy while I'm gone.  
  
So, how are things with you and Andrew? He sounds lovely, and I'm so glad you finally have made a new friend. Don't let your co-workers get to you, though have you considered you may have a chance for more than just friendship with Andrew? Don't let your past stop a chance of happiness, my dear Mary.  
  
Love,  
Rose  
  
P.S. When are we going to Disneyland Paris?  
  
**:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Sunday, April 12** **th** **, 2015  
****Vallejo, California  
****4:30 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “So you seriously haven’t seen Drew in two weeks? Isn’t that the first time you haven’t seen him since January?” Kendall asked as they cleaned up after shift.  
  
“For heaven’s sake Kendall,” Rosemary rolled her eyes. “Yes, you obviously know I’ve seen him every Saturday since January, until last week. Last week being Easter weekend, of course, I didn’t see him, he went to go see his family,” she hissed at her co-worker. “You need to seriously stop tracking my friendships.”  
  
“That’s all this is?” Nancy, the other person on shift asked as she appeared in the main room. “It’s been what, three months since you first saw him and he first started coming around, two months since you guys spent Valentine’s Day together. He’s still been here every Saturday and leaves when you get off shift with you…”  
  
“And you are claiming you’re just _friends_?” Kendall almost shrieked, causing the other two women to quickly cover their ears. “Sorry, sorry,” she apologized quickly, voice at a normal volume. “It’s just… three months girl and you aren’t dating him? I’d have been dating him in a week if he showed half the interest in me that he’s showing in you.”  
  
“I don’t date,” Rosemary spoke up evenly, long having grown tired of this argument with her co-workers and other friends, especially her mother who liked to claim her not dating was a sign she hadn't recovered.  
  
“Blah, blah, blah," Kendall flicked the towel she had been using back and forth with each word, "What do you call every Saturday for the last eight weeks?”  
  
“Well except the last two weeks,” Nancy pointed out gently.  
  
“Two friends, spending time together,” she offered before turning to go to the kitchen. “I’ll go do clean up in back,” she threw at them before disappearing as fast as she could.  
  
She knew it sounded crazy, especially when you considered that they had spent so much time getting to know each other over the last two months. Without fail, Andrew was there every Saturday like clockwork, and he’d walk with her while she went shopping if she had morning shift. Or if she had afternoon shift, he’d walk her home and sometimes they went up to Nations for something to eat and to play cards after she introduced him to restaurant-safe cards, sometimes they caught the bus and would go up to the theater in town to see a movie or eat something other than greasy burgers and pie.  
  
However, in those weeks, neither had put any name to what they did beyond hanging out as friends. He was the perfect gentleman, and there had been no talk of official dates or this being anything more than friendship.  
  
And okay, so she found him incredibly attractive.  
  
There was just something about the way the sun caught his curls, that she often found herself itching to move out of his eyes when they fell across his forehead. And yes, she had learned that his eyes had half a dozen different shades depending on his mood, from the bright blue like the ocean when he was happy, to grey like a storm covered sea when he was troubled about something, and a range of colors in between. That didn’t mean she had the first _clue_ what to do if this did progress to a relationship. She had never dated anyone in her life, save one failed attempt in high school that lasted all of two dates - and the first was a group outing with friends. Dating just wasn’t her thing, never had been, and even if she did occasionally find her dreams of old Europe broken up by dreams about a life with the blue-eyed blonde that she saw every weekend, dreams didn’t become reality just because she wished they would.  
  
That required something she was fairly certain she wasn’t capable of doing...  
  
Besides, it wasn’t like Andrew had said anything, or done anything, to indicate he wanted more than friendship. At least not that she was aware of… the girls were crazy and guy obsessed, plain and simple.  
  
“Rosemary,” Nancy called into the kitchen, drawing her from her thoughts as she finished up the dishes. “There’s someone sitting at the benches outside.”  
  
She looked up, towards the direction of the benches that she couldn’t see through the walls, and yet in her mind’s eye, she could see him there, waiting. She ignored the butterflies in her stomach that fluttered to life, the shivers that went up her spine as Nancy’s words had processed in her mind. She couldn’t help the small smile as she went back to work, eager to be done. Just because she didn’t have the faintest idea how to go about dating someone, just because she was pretty sure that Andrew wasn’t interested in her in that way, didn't mean she was any less a girl who couldn’t help how much she enjoyed spending time with him.  
  
“Go,” Kendall spoke twenty minutes later, as she was wiping down the food preparation counter for making sandwiches. “You’ve done your fair share already, _go_.”  
  
“She’s right, get out of here, we’ll lock up,” Nancy echoed.  
  
Rosemary smiled at both of them and shook her head, knowing they were already contemplating god knew what. However, she wasn’t going to give up an offer like that, especially as she came on shift first today. She clocked out, grabbed her things and headed out the door leading to the patio where, as she had imagined, Andrew was sitting at one of the picnic benches with his back leaning against the table, right foot casually resting on the opposite knee as he held a book in his right hand and read. The wind was catching his curls, blowing them around, and she watched as his left hand raised to push them back out of his eyes, before suddenly his eyes flicked up in her direction.  
  
She couldn’t help but smile back as a smile spread across his lips, while he closed the book and pushed himself up from the table. “Hello, again,” he greeted as he walked over.  
  
“Hello, again,” she echoed. “You don’t typically come down on Sundays…”  
  
“Well, I got back in town yesterday too late to catch you at work, and I wasn’t sure if you’d be home after work or okay with me just dropping by. We’ve never talked about that as an option before,” he explained as he held out his arm.  
  
“Ahh,” she nodded, looping her arm through his. “Well, I’m glad to see you today," she admitted with a warm smile, "Did you have a good Easter with your family?”  
  
“Yes,” he agreed with a smile of his own, “I also got to meet my sister’s boyfriend." She fought back a laugh at the expression on his face, " _That_ was an experience…”  
  
“Rachel I hope, not Arianna,” she voiced as they started down the familiar path of the waterfront.  
  
“Yes, Rachel,” he agreed, “I think I would have had a heart attack if my _baby sister_ had a boyfriend in _fifth_ grade.”  
  
She chuckled at the sound of horror in his voice, “You do remember sixth grade don’t you?” she asked with a smile. “Tell me it wasn’t just _my_ middle school where you had the couple of girls that started trying to date boys, even if dating, _thankfully_ , seemed to be nothing more than hand-holding and spending time together and possibly stealing a kiss.”  
  
“Oh God,” he raised his hand with the book to cover his eyes, “I had forgotten about that _insanity_. Those same girls were kissing a lot more often by seventh grade, and well, by eighth grade some of them had reputations… She's _going_ into sixth grade…”  
  
“Oh good,” she chirped, “It wasn’t just my school.” When she saw the look he shot her, she couldn’t help breaking out in giggles.  
  
“You mock my pain,” he muttered, turning his hand to tickle her wrist and she couldn’t help laughing more even as she tried to squirm away, To her surprise, he spun around to face her as she pulled away, catching her by the waist with the arm that held the book, keeping her wrist trapped lightly in his hand as he pulled her to him. “No, no going away,” he whispered and she was very much aware how close they suddenly were, her body flush up against his as she looked up at him.  
  
She couldn’t help her racing heart as she looked up into his blue eyes, they were so very blue today. “Alright,” she whispered, fighting to keep her breathing even.  
  
“You have _no_ idea,” Andrew began slowly, letting go of her wrist to raise his hand to her cheek, “How often these last two weeks I was with my family wishing you could be there too. Missing _you_.”  
  
Her eyes fluttered closed as he slowly traced his fingertips along her jawbone, taking in the words he was saying. “I missed you too,” she admitted, her eyes opening to look at him. “Andrew…” she barely breathed his name. “What…” she started, watching his face intently as she tried to think how to ask her question.  
  
“Shh, just, just give me a moment before we have to start discussing things endlessly,” he whispered, still slowly tracing her cheek. “I can see the questions floating around your eyes,” he added as his fingers moved to tuck her hair behind her ear.  
  
She closed her eyes again, simply taking in how her stomach was doing flip-flops, how her spine tingled, and everything seemed connected entirely to the movement of his fingers. She nodded slowly, his fingers slipping down to tangle in the hair at the back of her neck while his hand rested softly against the side of her neck, thumb gently brushing her jawbone. She heard him release a long breath, then felt his arm slip from her waist, her eyes snapping open to watch him as he took a step back, his fingers slipping away from her neck.  
  
“Sorry, that was... Probably _very_ abrupt...” he trailed off, watching her intently.  
  
Rosemary took a breath, released it slowly, “It’s okay,” she countered quietly, watching him. “It’s just…” she trailed off, not sure how to continue.  
  
“Come, sit down,” he held out his arm while nodding towards a bench nearby. He waited until they were seated, turned slightly towards each other, slowly reaching out to take her hand, before he continued. “I know, I haven’t exactly just come out and asked you on a date before now. So this, probably, just felt like a blow from left field.”  
  
“I thought you just wanted to be friends,” she agreed, watching his hand that held hers, as his thumb brushed across her knuckles.  
  
“Rosemary,” he began, took a breath as she looked up to see his face, “There was _something_ about you, that day I first saw you. It’s _why_ I volunteered to get everyone food before the ferry when I saw you working there. It’s why I came back every week, hoping to find the chance to talk to you, to get to know you. Figuring out your schedule wasn’t easy though, but I took a chance on Valentine’s Day, brought the rose in the hope that I’d finally get a chance to talk to you, to get to know you.”  
  
“I…” she started.  
  
“Not done yet,” he interrupted, a single finger pressing against her lips a moment until she nodded. “These two months since, I’ve _loved_ every Saturday I’ve spent here with you. It’s the _highlight_ of my week. I wasn’t sure how to bring up that I wanted to change things, I wasn’t sure how you’d take it. Then I went away for two weeks, and…" he paused a moment, seemed to be gathering his thoughts, "And I just couldn’t ignore anymore how much I _desperately_ want to have a chance for more with you than just friendship.”  
  
“I…” she started again, looked down at their hands and moved her free hand to rest atop his. “I can’t deny that I feel something around you,” she began slowly, trying to figure out how to explain things, “But Andrew,” she looked up at him a moment, watching the shadows fill his eyes, turning their beautiful blue to grey before she looked back down at their hands again. “I don’t know how to _be_ in a relationship,” she continued quickly, “I mean I told you about the insanity that was Jonathon senior year…”  
  
His free hand caught her chin, raised her eyes to find his and she saw the stormy grey was disappearing some. “Rosemary, Jonathon was an _idiot_ , pressing you for more than you were prepared for on what was really your first date. I’m _not_ Jonathon. I _understand_ that you haven’t truly ever been on a date before, that you haven’t had any relationships. I’m _not_ going to press you to rush headlong into a relationship. I’m asking you to give us a _chance_. We’ll take it slow, as slow as you need to,” he promised, and she could see how earnest he was in his promise.  
  
Her mind raced as she processed everything he was saying, wondering if she should take the risk for something that might be good. She took a deep breath, and nodded slowly, hoping that she wasn't being crazy, before pushing herself up from the seat. He looked up at her, confusion crossing his features once more, even as she kept hold of his hand. “Come,” she voiced softly, “if we are really going to contemplate this, there’s something else I need to tell you,” she began, pausing to squeeze his hand as a frown crossed his face, “But I’d rather not have this conversation out in public, _please,_ ” she whispered, watching as his eyes widened, as he simply stared back at her, reading her.  
  
Andrew nodded slowly, before rising and changing her hand to his opposite one, so he could pull it back through the crook of his arm as he did every time they walked. He remained quiet as they walked the fifteen minutes to her house, watching her as she took out her keys and unlocked her door before opening it. Turning, she held out her hand, a silent invitation as she had never invited him into her sanctuary before.  
  
He took her hand, let her lead him inside before she paused to lock the deadbolt.  
  
“You really like your colors, don’t you?” he asked, looking around the studio apartment. It was done in yellow and orange, pink and purple; bright walls with a dark blue ceiling and wood floors. There were white sheer curtains tied back at the sides of each archway, leading to a living area and from the living area to the kitchenette. She looked around and saw what he saw, the trees painted on walls, the birds painted into their branches, the peacock accents everywhere that complimented the India theme she had going.  
  
“I don’t have a lot of windows, seeing as it’s the basement," she shrugged, "Bright colors help ignore how dark it can get, and as you figured out before now, I have a soft spot for peacocks,” she shrugged slightly. “Through the doors there,” she pointed to the set of french doors not twenty feet from them towards the back of the house, “is the bedroom, you have to go through there to get to the bathroom I’m afraid. Beyond that, everything you see is what there is.”  
  
“It’s nice,” he spoke, looking around once more, eyes taking in everything.  
  
She slipped away, moved to the kitchenette to get two glasses. “What would you like to drink?” she asked, looking back towards where he stood. “I have water, coke, and ginger peach tea,”’ she offered as he walked around the walls that divided her living room from the other areas to join her.  
  
He smiled, “You have to ask?”  
  
“Tea it is, be aware, I sweeten mine,” she warned as she slipped around him to the hidden mini fridge to pull out the pitcher and pour them each a glass.  
  
“That’s fine,” he answered, taking the glass she offered before she moved to put the pitcher away. “That must be Smokey,” he voiced a moment later, and she turned to see her cat had jumped up on the island in the archway between the kitchen and the back bedroom area.  
  
“Yes, that’s Smokey,” she agreed, watching as he offered his hand to be sniffed before he scratched at the cat’s ears once he received approval. “Why don’t we go sit down,” she gestured towards the living room.  
  
She took a seat on the ‘couch’, set her glass down on the table nearby and watched as he pulled himself away from her feline companion to come and sit down next to her, though he left some space between them.  
  
“What did you want to talk about?” he asked softly, watching her intently.  
  
She sighed, looking down at her hands as she laced her fingers together in her lap. “There’s a reason I reacted as badly as I did when Jonathon forced the issue of a kiss on our first date,” she began slowly, twisting her fingers slightly as she rubbed her thumbs together. “Why I walked away from a friendship four years in the making and never talked to Jonathon again,” she continued, having explained before that her friendship with the one boy she had tried dating didn’t survive after he stole a kiss even after she had told him she wasn’t ready when he asked for one on their first real date.  
  
“Aside from the fact he simply didn’t listen when a girl told him no,” Andrew voiced with a frown, hand reaching out to rest atop hers, stopping her movement. “I can see how you would stop talking to him, how the friendship could end.”  
  
She smiled sadly, looked from his hand to his concerned face, then back down at their joined hands. “I don’t talk about certain aspects of my childhood, only my friends from high school that I’ve kept touch with have any knowledge, no one I’ve met in the years since know anything. It was _easier_ …” she trailed off, took a breath, “ _But_ , if you really want to try dating, then I think I have to tell you. For you to understand just how _much_ I don’t know what I’m doing here.” She looked back up at him, then back down just as quickly, “The truth is, I _can’t_ deny that I’m drawn to you, too. All this time, I figured Kendall and the others were just being their usual silly selves, looking for something that wasn’t there, because you hadn’t given any indications you wanted more than friendship. So I wrapped up how you made me feel and enjoyed being friends, I didn’t see any other future for us.”  
  
“So you aren’t against the idea of us dating,” Andrew asked, and she caught the hopeful sound in his voice, looked up at him to see the light in his eyes.  
  
“No,” she whispered, turning her hand over to catch his and squeeze it gently, “You need to hear me out though before you decide if you really want to do this…” she continued softly, watching the confusion cross his face again. She looked back down at their hands, loosened her grip on his slightly. “I don’t have contact with my former stepfather, because I put him in prison,” she started, swallowing once before she could continue. “I was sixteen when the truth came out, of what had been happening since I was very young, _too_ young to remember. My mother married him when I was only a year old, so he was the only father I had ever known...” she trailed off, shaking her head.  
  
“ _Technically_ , I’m still a virgin, but what did happen left me really messed up in the head for a long time. It’s only the last year or so that I’ve really been comfortable in large gatherings, though I still enjoy my solitude…” she shrugged slightly, dared to glance at him and find him watching her with dark grey eyes, troubled eyes, before she moved her gaze across the room to stare out the window over her library nook. “I can’t _deny_ that I’m drawn to you Andrew, but I also don’t know if there might be some lingering issues I don’t know about from my childhood. When I was in therapy after everything, they made sure to fully explain PTSD, how there were already signs that I had it, and how it could affect my life. I’ve found ways to cope with my authority issues, with my issues regarding excessive crowds, but I don’t know if anything else from what happened to me will pose a problem if I try to be in a relationship. Getting in a relationship with me may not be as simple as dating any other girl… It’s not just my old-fashioned opinions about dating in our lovely modern age that’s kept me from making any attempts, _contrary_ to what most of my friends think. Then again,” she looked back at him, “I’ve never had a reason to truly consider it before.”  
  
Andrew sighed, reaching out to touch her cheek, “I see,” he began and she turned away, expecting him to say he changed his mind before she felt his hand gently moving her head back towards him. “I _see_ an amazing woman,” he voiced softly. “I think, if we are going to truly make this work, there might come a day I need more of an explanation… to make sure I don’t accidentally hurt you,” his head tilted to the side as he regarded her.  
  
Rosemary frowned, she couldn’t help it, as she looked at him, “Wait, so you’re saying you _want_ to give this a try still? _Even_ knowing what little I’ve hinted at about my past, about the complications it might present… Knowing that this is probably _not_ going to be as simple or easy as any relationship you’ve _ever_ had before…”  
  
“Yes,” he answered simply, brushing his fingers along her cheek, “I’ve _never_ been drawn to someone like I am you. And I don’t think it’s worth walking away from what feels like it could be something wonderful, because it takes a bit of work,” he explained gently.  
  
She blinked a time or two, before shaking her head slightly, “You are _amazing_ , did you know that?”  
  
“You’ve said something a time or two,” Andrew chuckled, the boyish smile she so loved appearing on his face. “So, does that mean that you’ll go on a date with me? Give us a shot?”  
  
She smiled brightly, partially unable to believe that this wonderful, amazing, handsome man was truly wanting to take a chance with her, but also more than willing to try if he was. Even if it scared the living daylights out of her. “Yes,” she whispered, “Yes.”  
  
“Good,” Andrew smiled, and she was happy to see his eyes returning to their brilliant blue. “In that case, would you join me for dinner before I have to head back to the city?”  
  
“Dinner?” she asked with a small shake of her head, “Dinner _where_?”  
  
“Downtown,” he answered simply. “Let it be a surprise,” he added when she started to question him.  
  
“Alright,” she agreed slowly, “Let me go get changed.”  
  
She rose, left him sitting and taking out his book once more, as she moved through the apartment to her bedroom so she could pull an outfit out. She gathered the things she needed quickly, then moved towards the bathroom so she could change and straighten up a little.  
  
She changed quickly, throwing her uniform in the laundry basket to be dealt with later. She took a few minutes as she stood in front of the mirror, putting on the limited amount of makeup she ever used, and debated for a moment in time if she should do something with her curtain of brunette hair. Grabbing her brush, she removed the tangles and left it down, not wanting to make too big of a fuss, before she quietly slipped back out of the bathroom;, slipping on a pair of flats that were hidden by the skirt she wore, and made her way back out where Andrew waited.  
  
“Well, I’m ready when you are,” she voiced as she entered the room, watched him put down his book and a smile spread across his face.  
  
“You look,  _beautiful_ ,” he finished simply as he rose.  
  
“Thank you,” she couldn’t help but smile back.  
  
“Shall we?” Andrew offered his hand  
  
“Give me two seconds,” she held up two fingers, then quickly grabbed her glass and his, moved them to the fridge and returned to his side. “Now, now I’m ready,” she continued, feeling the little flutter in her chest, and the butterflies in her stomach as she placed her hand in his.  
  
“Good,” he smiled, walking her back to her door, “So, how was your Easter?” he quizzed as she locked up, starting up a much easier conversation as they walked back down the waterfront.  
  
**:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** April 13th, 2015  
  
Dearest Rose,  
  
Just a quick note, will write more later. Andrew asked me to go out with him. Even after I gave him the briefest story of what happened, he still wants to try a relationship.  
  
Is this really happening? I think I’m still in shock… Will send a picture from our dinner last night when I send my regular letter.  
  
Love,  
Mary  
  
P.S. Disneyland next year?  
  
**:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** April 17th, 2015  
  
Dearest Mary,  
  
I got your card in the post, and am returning the favour. I’m on my way to the dreaded Biology class, but wanted to say ‘yea!’. I’m so happy for you and am looking forward to seeing a picture of the sweet, kind, wonderful, amazing, Andrew.  
  
Have you realized how often you have rambled about him lately? It’s only fair all the times you’ve had to read my rambles about Richard. Enjoy this wonderful man you found my dearest cousin.  
  
Love,  
Rose  
  
P.S. Disneyland Hong Kong in two?  
  
**:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Friday, May 15** **th** **, 2015  
****Sacramento, California  
****10:30 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “I take it you enjoyed the show,” Andrew smiled down at her as they walked down the street away from the theater.  
  
“It was _wonderful_ ,” she breathed, pulling her cape a little closer as the chill of the night crept through the air. “Thank you for this,” she continued, looking up at him.  
  
“You are more than welcome,” he had a hand over the one that rested on his arm, and he squeezed it gently as he spoke.  
  
It had been just over a month since they started dating, and in some ways, it was the same as it had been before they decided to give dating a try. He arrived on the ten o’clock ferry every Saturday morning and would stay until the latest ferry that night. If she was already at work, she’d finish out her shift and then he’d walk with her to the farmer’s market and then home so she could change and they’d spend the afternoon and early evening together. If she hadn’t come on shift yet, she had started getting ready early so she could meet his boat, spend whatever time she had with him before her shift, and then they’d usually have dinner after she closed up before he caught his ferry back. The one difference was, instead of only coming down on Saturdays, he also came down on Sundays, and the pattern would repeat, without the farmer’s market trips of course since it was only open on Saturdays.  
  
Sometimes they went to a movie, often they had a meal, sometimes they just sat together at her apartment watching movies or studying if it was needed. The main differences were in the little things. They talked now, during the week, texts here and there throughout the day, phone calls when they could find the time around busy schedules. Without fail, he had the habit of bringing her some sort of flower on Sundays from the farmer’s market in San Francisco, which always made her smile and she had a growing collection of flowers drying in her closets. It had been the lavender rose the week before, that led to her spontaneously kissing him on the cheek, and opening up a new stage in their relationship.  
  
During the first three weeks, they had started with hand holding the first week while watching movies, progressing to his arm around her shoulders as she snuggled against him. She had been happy to have no issues so far and was hoping that her fears of her childhood interfering in her life would be unfounded, all she had was a racing heart any time he pulled her close or kissed her hand or forehead as he had started after she kissed his cheek.  
  
Then there was this weekend.  
  
She hadn’t had a clue why Kendall was grinning like an idiot when she handed her an envelope and rose three days before they were due to make this week’s schedule. Inside had been a note from Andrew explaining he had a surprise to celebrate one month since they had started dating, and he was hoping she might be able to get the weekend off so they could leave Friday afternoon and return Sunday. Kendall had jumped up and down like a giddy schoolgirl when she saw Rosemary wasn’t on the schedule for the weekend but had remained mum on the topic, and Rosemary was left in the dark as Andrew said he’d explain everything Friday.  
  
Friday afternoon, Andrew had been waiting when she arrived home from classes, and she got her overnight bag as instructed by a previous text conversation, popped upstairs to let her friend Sasha know she was leaving since Sasha had agreed to watch Smokey, and they headed downtown to catch the bus to Fairfield. They walked through her hometown, she telling stories about growing up, to the overpass that let them walk over the train tracks to Suisun where they caught the train to Sacramento. Along the way he had still kept his annoying silence, smirking to no end as she muttered and complained while they played cards.  
  
He led her through Sacramento to the Residency Inn, handing her one of two keys as they took the elevator to their floor and showed her to a two bedroom suite. He had stayed by the door, watching as she couldn’t help but wander into the room and simply look around in mild awe.  
  
**:-:-:** **_Flashback_ ** **:-:-:  
  
** “What's all this for?” Rosemary asked softly, reaching out to touch one of the lavender roses in the bouquet on the table in the center of the room, before looking over her shoulder at Andrew. “I mean I _know_ it's been a month since we started dating, but isn't this a bit… _much_?” she finished with a small shrug, not sure how else to phrase it.  
  
Andrew walked over to her, letting his hands rest on her shoulders a moment. “Actually, what I got for tonight was to celebrate our one month. When I started plotting for it, I knew we'd have to stay overnight, and as it happened the suite was one of the few options available that provided two beds. And, I decided I wanted to treat both of us," he shrugged slightly. "I'll admit, _once_ I started plotting, it grew, which is why I have some plans for tomorrow too, but the main thing is tonight.”  
  
She turned around in his arms to face him, hands raising to rest on his chest as she looked up at him before glancing around once more, “Andrew, this must have cost a fortune…”  
  
“Shh,” he whispered, reaching up to gently pull her lip free from where she had caught it between her teeth. “I explained before what my father does for a living, how I've never had to worry about money. For the most part, I don't use much of my allowance, so I splurged on something nice for _both_ of us. I promise I won't make it a monthly habit,” he added with a half-smile.  
  
She frowned slightly, then shook her head, “Fine, but I'm holding you to your promise.”  
  
“Deal,” he grinned, then leaned forward to kiss her forehead. “Now then, you need to open this,” he began, reaching past her to pick up an envelope and hold it out for her to take.  
  
“Okay…” she drew the answer out, looking between his excited face and the envelope before she focused on opening the latter and pulled out the two pieces of paper from within. “Oh Andrew,” she whispered as she realized what she held before her brain truly processed what she held and she couldn't help the small squeal that escaped as she jumped to wrap her arms around him.  
  
Moments later he had stepped back from the table and was swinging her around as she giggled against his neck, his own laughter moving her hair before he set her down, “You like?” he asked, though his smile said he knew the answer.  
  
“It's _Cinderella_ !” she grinned up at him, “how did you _do_ this?”  
  
“I have my ways,” he answered with a smile, hand reaching out to brush her hair back. “Now, give me those,” he continued as he plucked the tickets out of her hand.  
  
“But…” she reached for them only to have him stretch his arm up to full length above him, and she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
“That door there is yours,” he pointed to the door to the right, “there is something waiting for you in there.”  
  
She frowned at him, then turned and headed for the door in question, looking back to see him watching her with a smile, before she opened the door, and stepped inside.  
  
“ _Surprise_!”  
  
She jumped three feet back into the door she had just walked through at the combined shout of three people. “What the hell?” she asked, taking in the appearance of two of her best friends from high school and someone who looked a lot like Andrew. “Steph, Kyla, what are you doing here?" she focused on the two she knew first, before looking towards the third, "And you are?”  
  
“Rachel,” the blonde could be model spoke up, offering her hand. “My brother recruited my help, I suggested we recruit a few of your friends and raided your Facebook, hope you don't mind…”  
  
“Umm…” Rosemary looked between the three, “I think it's okay," she began hesitantly, "How are you two not at school?” she focused back on her friends, eying them skeptically.  
  
“You think we _wouldn't_ find a way to be here to help with your first big fancy date? We couldn't even get you to go to _Prom_!” Kyla pointed out.  
  
“And as you are dating someone who is taking you to see one of your _favorite_ musicals, and he even recruited his sister to make sure you had an outfit for the occasion. How could _we_ turn down her request to come help get _you_ ready?” Stephanie added.  
  
“What?” Rosemary blinked as she looked between the two before focusing on Rachel, “What did your brother _do_?”  
  
“He didn't want to ruin the surprise, but _also_ knew you wouldn't think to pack something appropriate for tonight without knowing about it. _So_ , he recruited my help," Rachel shrugged elegantly with one shoulder, "Don't worry, while we _have_ options, they have gift receipts since these two assured me that you would _freak_ over the idea of money being spent on you,” she waved a hand towards the two older females.  
  
“They're right,” she agreed, glancing at her friends then back at her boyfriend's sister.  
  
“Yes, well, so my brother is spoiling you. I think he said something about a missed birthday, ” she waved a hand as she headed towards the closet and started pulling out hangers. “So hush, and let your friends have fun.”  
  
“And _you_ have fun,” Stephanie ordered as she took one of the hangers, holding the white and gold dress up for Rosemary to see.  
  
“Your brother is _insane_ ,” she shook her head as she looked at the three, then at the gowns they had spread between them.  
  
“You'll get used to it,” Rachel laughed. “Now, pick a dress so we can start helping you get ready for dinner.”  
  
**:-:-:** **_End Flashback_ ** **:-:-:  
  
** In the end, she had picked the red dress that had a black lace overlay and sat still while Stephanie fussed with her hair and Kyla did her makeup, listening as Rachel told stories about her brother. She had enjoyed the time with her friends, taking their teasing after their high school years where the roles had been reversed. And it had been fun getting to meet one of Andrew's sister's, even if it had seemed all rather fairy tale like.  
  
Then again, maybe that was a side effect of dating someone whose father was involved in something to do with cinema, Andrew had been a little vague and she hadn't felt the need to research.  
  
Andrew had knocked on the door at 5:30 stealing her away to dinner before the show started at eight, at which time she had become happily lost in one of her favorite musicals.  
  
“I can't imagine a night better than this, everything you did…” Rosemary trailed off, her brain starting to go down the familiar path of arguing over how much she deserved good things.  
  
“Rosemary,” Andrew began slowly as they turned onto 15th street, “I love you, but stop, _please_. Just enjoy it.”  
  
“But,” she started to argue, then stopped mid-step and looked up at him. “Did you just…” she trailed off, blinking up at him as her brain processed what _exactly_ he had said.  
  
Andrew paused, looking down at her before nodding once, slowly, “Yes, yes I did,” he admitted after a moment. Reaching out to brush his fingers along her cheek, he released a small sigh. “I do love you, maybe it’s crazy to know that so soon, to be _admitting_ it so soon, but I _do_ know it. And I hadn’t intended to admit it, but since it slipped out, I’m not going to deny it, _nor_ does it mean I’m going to push you to respond, or even push for more than you’re ready for. I’m happy with where we are, and I’m happy no matter _how_ long it takes for things to progress further than they have, okay?” he asked softly.  
  
She nodded slowly, reaching up to brush her hand along his cheek, “I get that,” she agreed, “and I get it more than you realize,” she continued with a small smile. “I’m not sure I’m ready to say 'I love you' back, but I also can’t say that there aren’t feeling there, does that make sense?” she asked with a small frown. “I just, I don’t want to say the words, and regret it later since I’m not a hundred percent sure if what I’m feeling is love, since I’ve never felt it before…”  
  
“Shh,” he brought a finger to her lips, and nodded his head, “No, I get it,” he agreed before gently pulling her back to his arm so they could start walking the remaining distance to the hotel. “So, tomorrow, I was thinking we could just spend the day at Old Town Sacramento,” he explained as they walked, changing the subject completely.  
  
“Really?” she asked, grateful for the topic change; more grateful that he was so understanding. As they walked the rest of the way to the hotel and up to their rooms, she listened to his various thoughts for the following day, thankful for how wonderful this man was, how lucky she was to have found someone as understanding as him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the week to come went from lightly active, to having to travel to another town every day... and not even the same town every day. So I figured let's try to get a new chapter up before insanity sets in and I can't get back to anything until probably Tuesday the 23rd at the earliest.
> 
> Due to above insane schedule, l probably won't get another chapter up until the 23rd at the earliest, sorry for the predicted delay. Hope everyone enjoys.


	4. Chapter 3

**:-:-:-:-:-:  
****Chapter 3  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Saturday, May 16** **th** , **2015  
****Sacramento, California  
****6:23 a.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
**_She was only half awake, as the carriage continued on its journey. She had watched the sunrise through the windows of the carriage, seeing the sunrise over the cliffs from the sea beyond. She had forgotten how beautiful it was this close to the sea, all these years away. **  
**  
__“Milady, we’re almost there,” a voice called from outside the carriage, and she sat up straighter, looking out the window she could see the castle rising up in the distance. She had maybe fifteen minutes, so she set about making sure her hair was flat and that her skirts straightened.  
_

_She stayed back in the shadows, taking in the sight of the crowd gathering near the castle as the carriage rolled up and stopped. Her door opened and a hand was held up, she carefully grasped it and stepped out of the carriage, blinking at the sunlight as she stepped down from the carriage. It looked like every member of court was waiting to see her, but it was the voices from her side that drew her attention as she saw her four dearest friends rushing towards her. **  
**  
__They barely caught themselves, curtsying quickly before surrounding her in a hug filled with laughter, “Mary! We missed you so much!” **  
**  
__“Oh Kenna, Greer, Lola, I’m so happy to see you,” she looked at them in each in turn, feeling the large smile on her face, then focused on the last, “Aylee, we’re all together again…” she glanced around the four once more before turning her gaze to where the royal family waited. **  
**  
__She felt one of them move around her, hands in her hair before Greer spoke, “Oh Mary, your hair. Didn’t the nuns teach you anything?” she chastised lightly before a giggle escaped the five as one. **  
**  
__The sound of something loud being set down drew her attention to the side, and she took in the number of trunks being unloaded from the carriage the four had arrived in. “Oh, Greer,” she spoke as she realized who they must belong to, “those can’t_ ** _all_** _be clothes.” **  
**  
__“There’s jewelry and silver, too," she defended quickly, before shrugging the need to defend with the others away, “I’m making up in volume for what I lack in station, I suppose.” **  
**  
__“Here they come!” Aylee spoke up, noticing movement before a trumpet blew one last time and the Royals started down the walkway towards her, flanked on either side by dozens of bystanders from the castle, the Court. **  
**  
__“Your Highness, King Henry II!” **  
**  
__She heard the whispers of the girls, but was confused by what she saw, “That’s King Henry, but is that Catherine?” she seemed to remember the Queen being fair of hair. **  
**  
__“No,” Kenna spoke up quickly, “They’re still waiting on her. That’s Diane de Portiers, the king’s mistress.” **  
**  
__“So the rumors are true?” Greer questioned quietly. **  
**  
__“Unlike her, you’ll have no trouble finding husbands here,” Lola pointed out. **  
**  
__“We’ll certainly enjoy the hunt,” Kenna’s voice was filled with eagerness, though she herself was focused more on looking around at those gathered, trying to find_ ** _him_** _. “What about you?” Kenna asked, and she glanced over to see who Kenna was talking to, noticing the focus on Lola, “Oh, don’t tell me. It’s about that boy from Aberdeen.” **  
**  
__“Colin said he’d wait for me,” Lola argued as she turned her attention back to watching the others near the castle. **  
**  
__“Til when? We might never be back on Scottish soil, not if it all works out and Mary reigns here.” **  
**  
__“What do you mean, “if?” Aylee asked confused. **  
**  
__“Make no mistake, we’re here now to get our young queen in the game. Alliances can shift,” Greer explained, “Before they do, Mary needs to win the prince’s heart.” **  
**  
__She heard it all, knew the truth in what they said, wanted to deny it. All she cared about was trying to see if she could have happiness in her marriage, with the boy she had considered a close friend. She let them talk, let them gossip really as she watched the King and his mistress, watched the dark-haired young man walk over to them. **  
**  
__Kenna rushed over to her side seconds later, “Is that Francis? He's gorgeous,” she breathed. **  
**  
__She stared at the man, and shook her head the slightest bit, “No, that's not Francis,” she countered, remembering fair hair that she chased after, “I_ ** _know_** _it isn't.” **  
**  
__“Then that must be Sebastian, the king's bastard; Diane's son,” Kenna voiced, “I hear the king favors him.” **  
**  
__She might have continued, had the trumpets not sounded again as a fair-haired woman strolled to walk up to, then around and in front of the King and his mistress, but only just slightly ahead as a guard called out, “Her Majesty: Queen Catherine!” **  
**  
__She was still staring at them, when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye, turning her head she saw him then, the fair hair she remembered on a tall figure strolling towards them from a different part of the castle, forging his own path. **  
**  
__She smiled up at him as he approached, “I don’t believe it,” she couldn’t stop from spilling past her lips. **  
**  
__He had reached her, bowed as she curtsied quickly, “Your Grace.” **  
**  
__“No,” she corrected quickly, not liking the formality between them, it had never existed before when they were children, “call me Mary, please.” **  
**  
__“Francis,” he agreed with an easy smile. **  
**  
__She smiled back, glanced around as her nerves flared, “The castle seems bigger. Is that possible?” she asked as she focused back on him, “And you, too, of course,” she added then caught herself, stopped her rambles as she heard her ladies giggling behind her, took in the look on his face. **  
**  
__“Is that such a surprise?” **  
**  
__“No,” she agreed, “Especially since your legs were always longer than mine,” she remembered his legs being longer, even if at the time he was a tad bit shorter than her overall, “You know, I hated that when we were young,” she admitted, “I was always chasing after you, but, now, uh,” she cursed her tongue, how it was running away on her, “now it suits you.” She knew that was a horrible way to finish, but had no clue how to fix her blunder, fix her nerves. **  
**  
__He simply smiled, his hand moved towards her and out towards where the Court stood watching them, and he waited as she stepped up next to him so they could walk to meet his parents. **  
**  
_**:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** She woke suddenly, stared up at the ceiling in the room she had slept in as she processed the dream she had been having. _ **  
**  
_ “How did I not see it?” she asked out loud. “How did I not put it together before now?” _ **  
**  
_ She had grown up knowing the four girls from the dream as if they were living beings, as well as she knew Sasha, Stephanie, and Kyla. **  
  
** Kenna, Greer, Lola, and Aylee. She had dreams of them as young children, dreams of them as they had looked in the dream she just had, grown women living their lives, dreams of Lola with a child of her own, of Greer and Kenna expecting a baby of their own, though never Aylee for some reason that she had never understood. She knew logically the dreams had never been linear, had never questioned it though, dreams weren’t supposed to make logical sense after all. **  
  
** She had remembered them calling her Mary, never fully understanding where they all were beyond the fact they were in some European Court, some place in time. She had known she was married, she had been sixteen when she started having dreams involving the vague memories of the knowledge she was loved, of being loved and cherished by a person she could never fully remember in the morning. Except, she knew there was something about the color blue, she had been obsessed with the color blue as long as she could remember. _ **  
**  
_ And then there was this dream, today. _ **  
**  
_ Part of her wondered if she was going crazy. Wondered if her subconscious was trying to supplement her real life into her dreams, or her dreams into her real life, or if she was simply going crazy. She had seen Kenna, Lola, Greer, and Aylee as clear in tonight’s dream as she ever had. She had seen the King and Queen, though she had already forgotten their names as sleep left her for morning’s light, as clearly as she ever had, same with the man who was the King’s eldest son and bastard who she knew had eventually married Kenna. She had never dreamed about her arrival at the Court before though, not that she could remember, as she had last night. Had never dreamed about her first time seeing  _him_ , the one she knew was the man she had married. _ **  
**  
_ So why, when she saw him for the first time did he look so very much like Andrew? _ **  
**  
_ Except, she had always been obsessed with blue, and Andrew had blue eyes. Was it a coincidence? _ **  
**  
_ And there was the fact that the word she had whispered the first time she saw Andrew was ‘Francis’. Was that another coincidence? _ **  
**  
_ “This is too fucking weird…” she muttered as she stared up at the ceiling, before throwing the blankets back and sitting up. She wasn’t getting any more sleep, her head was too full. She might as well get up, start the day, so maybe by the time Andrew woke up, she could be fully focused on spending the day with him and not be caught up in the insanity of her dreams. _ **  
**  
_**:-:-:-:-:-: _  
  
_****Monday, May 18** **th** **, 2015  
****Vallejo, California  
****7:24 a.m. _  
  
_****:-:-:-:-:-: _  
  
_**_She woke slowly, the familiar movement on her arm that had woken her for several days now conspiring with the sunlight irritating her eyes to pull her away from sleep's peaceful dreams; as she processed the warmth of a body next to her. Reaching up she rubbed at her eyes, “It’s morning,” she voiced before her brain processed what she was seeing, what she had said, and she gasped, trying to sit up quickly. **  
**  
__“I know,” Francis spoke, rolling over to trap her on the bed, a chuckle in his voice, “If the servants are gossiping about your unmade bed, it is_ ** _too late_** _to rectify the situation,” he explained as he let his fingers dance over her body, obviously enjoying the giggles that spilled past her lips, if his smile was anything to go by. He caught her hands in his larger ones, then leaned down to place a kiss against the curve of her breast. **  
**  
__“Do you think we’re being too reckless?” she asked with concern, watching as he raised his head from her body to look at her. **  
**  
__“I’m_ ** _yours_** _,” he began, lowering himself to place another kiss just under the curve of her right breast, “You’re_ ** _mine_** _,” a kiss against her stomach, “I hope you’re pregnant,” he whispered against her womb. **  
**  
__“_ ** _Francis_** _!” she cried, half scandalized, half unable to help but appreciate just how wonderful he was. **  
**  
__He shifted back up so his head was near her own, “It would force the wedding sooner. How could my father argue it?” he asked, holding himself above her as her hands gently wrapped around his arms. **  
**  
__“You don’t think what we’re doing is wrong?” she asked quietly, shifting herself up as he pulled away, reaching over her for the sheets. She saw the sudden fear in his eyes, “As we are not wed yet?” she hurried on, explaining the reasoning so he wouldn’t think it was because she_ ** _truly_** _regretted what they had done, that she was only thinking of what society would say, what their faith taught them. **  
**  
__She watched the fear fade away as he let himself drop towards her, grasp her slightly to pull her up to him, as he spoke, so they were both sitting, “After we rule for a great long while,” he began, reaching out to move her hair, “and we leave France and Scotland to our children,” he moved closer, brushing his nose against hers, “and our_ ** _grandchildren_** _,” breathed against her cheek, “and our_ ** _great-grandchildren_** _,” whispered in her ear before he dropped a kiss just below it. “And we meet our maker,” he continued, pulling back and up on his knees to tower over her slightly, watch her intently as she shifted her hair behind the ear he had just kissed below, “you can ask him yourself,” he finished before swooping in to kiss her again. **  
**  
__She giggled as he moved to her neck, littering kisses down the length of it while pushing her into the bed. They were easily about to get lost in each other again when a knock sounded on the door, and she couldn’t help the shriek as he jumped away from her to face the door, while she pulled the blanket up over herself, completely hidden as the person came into the room. **  
**  
__“Forgive me, but there’s word for you; from the Holy See,” the voice spoke from the door. **  
**  
__“The_ ** _Pope_** _?” she heard the surprise in Francis’ voice, felt him tense as with his hip resting next to her own, she could feel the muscles of his leg tightening. **  
**  
__“The cardinal from the Vatican is in the throne room,” the voice corrected and she felt Francis relax slightly as he cleared his throat, felt his movement and a few moments later she heard the door shut. **  
**  
__She carefully pulled the blanket down, looking at the door in amazement, even as she heard Francis chuckle and could see him moving next to her from the corner of her eye. The giggles were involuntary, letting the shock get out of her system before they shifted to giggles brought on by Francis as he grabbed the blanket and lifted it up over himself while simultaneously shifting himself back over her, positioning himself so he straddled her hips, “Or you could ask him now,” he began before sitting up, letting his voice take on a more echoing tone, “As the_ ** _word of God_** _is back at court.” **  
**  
__“We should go,” she spoke softly, her hands trailing across the muscles between his hip bones, looking up at him reluctantly. **  
**  
__“I know,” he agreed, regret on his face as well, his hand reached out to trace her cheek gently, “Promise you’ll come back tonight. Even if it’s just to sleep. I’ve gotten used to you sleeping here…” **  
**  
__“I’ll try,” she agreed, “But tomorrow you have to wake me before morning,” she added with a pointed look. He had promised before, and this was the second time they’d had a close call. **  
**  
__“Promise,” he smiled down at her, leaning down to steal one more kiss before he rolled away. “Thank goodness we found the path between our rooms,” he glanced towards his own entrance to the hidden passages, normally kept blocked by a trunk, but when they rearranged his room for winter he made sure the trunk was shifted just enough to make access easy without looking obvious. “I’ll meet you outside your rooms shortly,” he promised as he stood, grabbed her gown from where it had been dropped the night before so she could slip it on for her journey back. **  
**  
__She nodded, taking the gown and slipping it over her head, she stepped up and stole one last kiss before pulling away to slip through the passage and hurry back to her own rooms. **  
**  
_**:-:-:-:-:-: _  
  
_** “Oh my  _God_ ,” Rosemary breathed, as she came awake, rolling over in her bed to bury her head in her pillow. “You have  _got_  to be kidding me,” she groaned into the pillow. _ **  
**  
_ She had thought it was a one-time thing, had hoped it was when she woke up Saturday morning after the dream where she was back at the European Court and had seen ‘Francis’ only to see Andrew there meeting her for the 'first time' in years. **  
  
** She’d gotten over the confusion long before Andrew woke up, and had a wonderful day with him in Old Town Sacramento, just being together enjoying the day. They had wandered the boardwalk and shops, been silly and taken old time photos, had gyros for lunch and deep dish pizza for dinner before walking back to the hotel to watch a movie together. _ **  
**  
_ She hadn’t had any dreams Saturday night and thought it was done, just her mind playing tricks on her. After breakfast at the Delta King on Sunday morning, they’d taken the train back to Suisun, then the bus back to Vallejo and spent the day together before he headed back to the city since they both had classes on Monday. _ **  
**  
_ And yet, here she was, Monday morning, and she had another dream. Another amazing, wonderful dream, one she vaguely remembered having before, except unlike before where she hadn’t really seen her lover clearly, she saw him clear as day this time. And Francis looked exactly like Andrew, well exactly like Andrew did in terms of Andrew’s familiar curls and blue eyes and general body build. It wasn’t like she had _seen_ Andrew naked before to know if Andrew was as toned as Francis had been. _ **  
**  
_ Rolling back over, she looked over at Smokey as he sat on the bookshelves watching her, “I think I’m going crazy Smoke,” she spoke softly. “I have to be,” she added quietly. “This is  _completely_  insane…” _ **  
**  
_**:-:-:-:-:-: _  
  
_****Wednesday, May 20** **th** **, 2015  
****Vallejo, California  
****2:41 a.m. _  
  
_****:-:-:-:-:-: _  
  
_**_She stopped short as she walked into the room, taking in the sight of dozens of candles spread throughout the bedchamber they shared. “Francis,” she breathed, watching as he turned around to face her, “They’re beautiful.” **  
**  
__He raised his arms to indicate the room as he took a step towards her, “What was I_ ** _thinking_** _not giving my new bride a First Light candle?” **  
**  
__She smiled slightly, “Well, we’ve been married for some months now,” she pointed out, excusing the believed slight. **  
**  
__He shook his head, stopping a few feet from her, “There have been_ ** _too_** _many regrets in_ ** _too_** _short a time.” **  
**  
__She sighed, knowing what he meant, and where this was going, “I_ ** _know_** _that you regret what happened. Lola does, too," she pointed out gently, hoping to assuage his guilt. **  
**  
__She watched him as he processed her words, before he moved towards her, kissing her cheek and bringing his arms up to wrap around her as he buried his head in the crook of her neck. She pulled back as she felt him shifting, keeping her eyes closed as his hand slid across the back of her hair, as he brushed the hair away from her neck while he pressed his lips to hers. She let herself surrender to the familiar fog that he could induce in her brain, wanting to not think about anything for a moment, least of all the mess her life had become thanks to her friend and his actions when she'd been engaged to his brother. Then, she processed the movement against her back, the loosening of the laces on her bodice, and forced herself to pull away. **  
**  
__“Um,” she began, swallowing once as she tried to figure out the words, “I’m not sure if there’s any point to that tonight,” she voiced gently, sure she was about to upset him and regretting it a moment later as she saw the flash of confusion, of hurt, pass through his eyes. **  
**  
__“What do you mean?” he whispered as he searched her face intently, **  
**  
__“One thing I’ve learned from your mother’s_ ** _many_** _lectures and insights on pregnancy,” she began, trying to continue blocking out the long lectures she’d been subjected to, “is that there are some days when it’s_ ** _more_** _likely and days when it is_ ** _less_** _likely,” she explained, before he chuckled lightly. “You’ve been, uh…” she paused as she searched for the word, gaze flitting around his chest until her mind latched on the best phrase she could think to use. “Vigorous,” she voiced, looking back up at him, “in trying to achieve what we both want, but…” she couldn’t help lowering her eyes again, the shame creeping in. **  
  
** It had to have been her fault, or else how could he have gotten Lola pregnant the one, and if she believed them as she wanted to, only time, and yet after all these months her womb lay still. “I don’t think it’s going to happen tonight,” she admitted, swallowing back the growing darkness of her thoughts that threatened to consume her. **  
**  
__“_ ** _Vigorous_** _,” he repeated, and she heard the amusement in his voice, “Oh I like that,” he continued, and this time she couldn’t help the chuckle, as he raised his hand up to brush his knuckles against the corner of her lips and cheek. “I thought you did, too,” he continued, waiting until her eyes rose to find his to continue. “I don’t make love to you because I_ ** _want_** _a baby. I_ ** _want_** _a baby because I_ ** _love_**   ** _you_** _.” **  
**  
__She couldn’t help letting her fears melt away at his sweet words, accepting his kisses as his hands returned to her ties. She pulled back, as he tried to pull her bodice away, then caught his head in her hands as he placed kisses to her neck and quickly dropped to his knees in front of her, pressing kisses against her womb while he found the ties for her skirt hidden under her loose tunic. She fought the small moment of sadness, wishing against hope that her womb wasn’t as still as it was now, that they already had the baby they both wanted growing where he kissed ever so gently. **  
**  
__As her skirts fell away, he rose back up, then surprised her by catching her back and knees so he could lift her and carry her to their bed. “Let me love you, Mary,” he spoke softly, crawling along the bed to hover over her, “let that be all we need right now,” he added softly, lowering his lips to hers before he pulled back, brushed her hair back with his hands as he looked at her intently. “A baby will come when it is right. Please don’t turn_ ** _this_** _, this beautiful way of showing our love, into nothing more than the act required for a child.” **  
**  
__She looked up at him, took in everything about his face as he made his request, and nodded her head slowly. God willing they’d have a child before long, but she didn’t want them to become Henry and Catherine any more than he did. Reaching up, she threaded her hands through his curls and pulled his head down to meet her own as she pressed her lips to his, then trailed kisses towards his ear. “Love me, never stop, and this will_ ** _never_** _become solely an act for a child,” she whispered, before pulling back, letting her hand trace the hair along his jaw, “I just need to get your mother and the Court out of my head…” **  
**  
__Francis smiled, his hand shifting to follow the curve of her breast, “I think I can help you forget everything except us,” he promised, before leaning down to capture her lips with his own. **  
**  
_**:-:-:-:-:-: _  
  
_** She was crying as sleep left her, tears streaming down her cheeks that she couldn’t seem to stop. **  
  
** It didn’t make any sense, not really, why it felt like her heart was breaking, and yet it also did. Suddenly, so many past dreams seemed to click into place, so many memories that were her’s and yet weren’t. _ **  
**  
_ She pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging herself into an almost fetal position as she fought back the pain. **  
  
** It felt like a physical pain in her chest, the knowledge that the sweet little boy she remembered Lola having, had been Francis’ child. Even though her dream hadn’t revealed that to her directly, it was like she’d known it in the dream, and she’d retained that knowledge as she came out of the dream. Even as Francis had been so intent on making it up to her for the mistake he had made with Lola in Paris, in forgetting First Light, trying to make sure she understood that he wasn’t pushing her for a baby like everyone else was because he didn’t want a baby for the sake of the Court, he wanted a baby because _they_ had discussed having a family together, nothing more than that. _ **  
**  
_ And she knew, from so many other dreams, that their dream of a family had not happened, at least not that she had ever dreamed about. That there had not been a child with beautiful blonde curls and blue eyes that climbed trees and raced through court. _ **  
**  
_ And maybe it was all dreams, maybe none of it was real, but it hurt. **  
  
** It hurt more than she cared to admit to anyone because they would all probably think she was insane. **  
  
** And maybe she was, but that didn’t change anything, and it didn’t make her tears stop, make her stop wishing Francis was real, or that short of that she could call Andrew and have him here to hold her as she cried; wondering if he might at least accept the fact she was crying this hard over something that couldn’t _possibly_ be real. _ **  
**  
_**:-:-:-:-:-: _  
  
_****Friday, May 22** **nd** **, 2015  
****Vallejo, California  
****11:47 p.m. _  
  
_****:-:-:-:-:-: _  
  
_**_She opened his door, slipped in and closed it before talking, launching into her explanation of why she was there, “I couldn’t sleep.” Not a long explanation really, not the one she'd rehearsed on her way to his rooms at the very least. **  
**  
__“_ ** _Mary_** _…” he whispered, walking towards her as she moved hesitantly towards him. **  
**  
__“Why?” she demanded, raising her hands to hit him on the chest, her anger slipping through, her fear, “_ ** _Why_** _did you come back?” she cried as he stepped back with each step she took forward. “You didn’t_ ** _know_** _the gold was poisoned!” **  
**  
__He grabbed her hands then, held them still, “Mary,_ ** _stop_** _.” he ordered quietly. **  
**  
__“It was one man against ten. They would have killed you!” she argued, fear of what could have been still lingering in her mind, “Why would you do something so_ ** _stupid_** _?” **  
**  
__He caught her head gently in his hands, holding her still, “Because I love you!” he spoke quickly, almost as if he couldn’t keep it in. **  
**  
__She looked up at him, unable to fully process what he had just admitted. “_ ** _What_** _?” she asked, her voice filled with the shock that had taken over her entire being, slowing her racing heart. **  
**  
__He smiled then, seeing her calming as she tried to process, his hand moving gently across her cheek., “And because it’s pretty obvious now that for us to stay sane, we **need** to be together,” **  
**  
__“But what about not having control of our lives…?”  she asked, before he silenced her question, catching her lips with his own. **  
**  
__She pulled away a moment later, her mind warring with the feelings filling her body, her heart near to bursting at his admission, but she had to ask, not ready to stop her questions. “And… and France and … and Scotland… ?” she pressed before he silenced her with another kiss. She stopped arguing then, losing herself in him, her hand raising to his hair, his neck as one of his fell to her hip and caught her gown as he gripped her hip gently while his other tangled in her curls. **  
**  
__He pulled back slightly, their noses still brushing as he shook his head the slightest bit while he spoke, “There has been entirely too much_ ** _thinking_** _going on,” he interrupted gently, before catching her lips with his own once more. **  
**  
__She let herself go then, enjoyed the feelings his kisses brought, the feelings his kisses had always brought. His hands moving from her face to her hair, to her side in quick succession as he turned them, walked her backward to lay her down on his bed. She felt him shift above her as he continued to kiss her, as she continued to kiss him. **  
**  
__Her mind yelled out, to consider what was happening, but her heart spoke louder as his hand ran down her hip and leg, moving her leg along his as it slid between hers, his thigh pressing against her own. As their bodies moved against each other in a way that made her feel more alive than she ever had. **  
**  
__He pulled back slightly, looked at her intently, “Tell me when to stop,” he spoke, and she knew with every fiber of her being that if she said stop, he would. It didn’t matter if it would cause him pain, he’d not take her virtue, not do anything more than she was ready for. **  
**  
__Reaching up, she grasped the back of his neck, “Never,” she whispered, catching his lips a moment later. She loved him, he loved her. She didn’t care right now if they waited for their wedding night, she simply wanted to be here, with him. **  
**  
_**:-:-:-:-:-: _  
  
_** She woke up and couldn’t help throwing her pillow across the room in frustration. **  
  
** That was the third time this week she had woken up from dreams about ‘Francis’. _ **  
**  
_ She pushed herself out of bed, and stormed around her room, she had run the gamut of emotions, and she was just _done_. She didn’t know what to do anymore… _ **  
**  
_ And then she heard it, the noise from upstairs, and suddenly inspiration struck. **  
  
** Grabbing a hoodie, she snatched up her keys and locked the door behind her as she went upstairs and knocked on Sasha’s door. _ **  
**  
_ “Rosemary?” Sasha asked a few minutes later when she opened the front door, looking her up and down in surprise, “What’s wrong?” _ **  
**  
_ “I know your beliefs, and I know we never talk about them... but I think I need your help,” she blurted out to her friend. _ **  
**  
_ Sasha blinked once, twice, then nodded slowly. “Alright,” she stepped back, holding the door open so Rosemary could come in, “why don’t I make us some tea and you can explain. You look like you haven’t been sleeping much this week…” _ **  
**  
_ “I haven’t,” Rosemary admitted as she moved into her friend's living room, “I’ve been having dreams that have been keeping me up, only I’m not sure anymore if they are dreams or memories or something else entirely. Like maybe, it's a tumor for all I know.” _ **  
**  
_ “Okay...” Sasha nodded slowly, “Why don’t you follow me to the kitchen, I’ll get the kettle on, and you can explain everything.” _ **  
**  
_ “So it started years ago, like I can’t honestly remember when it started, I’ve just _always_ had these dreams,” Rosemary began as she followed Sasha into the kitchen. _ **  
**  
_**:-:-: _  
  
_** “It sounds like you’re having memories,” Sasha began after Rosemary had finished explaining everything. “I can’t be a hundred percent sure, obviously, but dreams don’t typically hold that strong you know?" she shrugged slightly, "Memories, on the other hand, they come and go like this. And for these dreams to have continued off and on your entire life, to have stayed _true_ , that isn’t something dreams are known for. But _memories_ , they do that.” _ **  
**  
_ “So like a past life?” Rosemary asked with a frown. “Like I legitimately was this girl named Mary, and I lived this life in some European Court and married some man named Francis and lived through all those things. And I’m remembering them _now_ in my dreams?” _ **  
**  
_ “It’s very possible,” Sasha agreed, taking a sip of her tea. “Those who believe in reincarnation, however you choose to believe it happens, often times _do_ believe that it is possible to remember something about your past life. I’m guessing that the amount of detail you remember, is because that life was of great importance to your spirit.” _ **  
**  
_ “What about the fact that I’m picturing Andrew as Francis?” she asked softly. _ **  
**  
_ “Are you picturing Andrew as Francis? Or is there a chance that Andrew  _is_  Francis?” Sasha countered. “Wait,” she held up a hand when Rosemary started to argue, “You said the first time you saw Andrew, you whispered Francis’ name, before you remembered Francis’ name in your dreams. Now, it _could_ be that you are supplementing Francis’ name into your dreams, you can’t rule that out," she voiced as she put her teacup and saucer down. "On the other hand, maybe we need to try to rule a few other things out. Like maybe we need to put your history major to work. Let’s start seeing if we _can_ put things together, alright?” _ **  
**  
_ “What do you mean?” Rosemary asked with a frown. _ **  
**  
_ “Let’s start writing down what you know, and see if we can’t narrow down what your life _might_ have been. Make sense? And maybe we’ll either prove or disprove our theories as we go.” She was already reaching for the pad of paper she kept on in the drawer next to the couch. _ **  
**  
_ “Okay,” Rosemary nodded slowly. “I guess I can go work on that, I’m sure you want to get some sleep…” _ **  
**  
_ “You think _I’m_ going to get any sleep after you dropped this on me?” Sasha asked with a smile. “Rosemary, go get your stuff and get back up here. I’ll make another pot of tea and some brownies.” _ **  
**  
_ “Really?” she looked at her friend in surprise. _ **  
**  
_ “Really,” Sasha agreed. “Now go get your stuff so we can get started.” _ **  
**  
_**:-:-:-:-:-: _  
  
_****Saturday, May 23** **rd** **, 2015  
****Vallejo, California  
****10:36 a.m. _  
  
_****:-:-:-:-:-: _  
  
_**_She walked up endless stairs, familiar stairs that she barely recognized. Only when she reached the top did it make sense as she took in the various toys from her childhood, and memories of happier times with Francis filled her mind before a noise caught her attention. She followed the sound, the crack of something, peeking through a door barely open to find him there as if produced from her memories into reality. **  
**  
__“Mary,” he looked up at her, startled at her appearance as she took in the blade in his hands, the others on the table. **  
**  
__“Francis. Um, I didn't know you…” she started to say 'would be up here', 'came here', something, before he interrupted her. **  
**  
__“What are you doing here?” **  
**  
__“I was exploring,” she admitted, “These were my old rooms. Don't you remember?” she asked softly, taking in all the things he must have added._

 _“Not anymore,” he corrected, “No one comes up here.” **  
**  
__“Except you,” she pointed out. “What is that?” she couldn’t help asking as she looked around at the array of things on the table more closely. “Is all of this yours?” **  
  
** She knew it had to have been, but it seemed the best way to open a discussion. **  
**  
__“I… I make knives, and swords,” he admitted, “At least, I'm trying to learn.” **  
**  
__“To be a bladesmith? Is that a requirement for future kings now?” she couldn’t help asking with a smile. **  
**  
__“When you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous, yes,” Francis admitted as he looked down. **  
**  
__“No,” she quickly corrected, “no, I think it's fantastic,” she argued, hoping he believed how much she meant it. **  
**  
__“But did you make all these?” he voiced the question he probably thought was in her head. “Why?” he voiced another common question to be expected, and one she did wonder. “I can't help thinking that every man, **even a king**_ , _should have some kind of skill,” he explained as he looked around the room once more. **  
**  
__“Well, you're going to be a great ruler someday. Isn't that enough?” she asked, curiosity winning out. **  
**  
__“I hope I will be,” he admitted, “but I meant a **real** skill. One that I didn't inherit, wasn't given to me and… and can't be taken away. My brother, my half-brother,” he corrected himself, “Bash... he has so many. He wants to learn something, he does ****, he wants to go somewhere, he **goes**. With my father's blessing. They don't worry about him dying so much that they don't let him _ ** _live_  ** _.” **  
**  
__She heard the longing in his voice, recognized it even, matching the longing in her own heart to have something besides the demands of what they were. “Because he'll never be King,” she finished the unspoken thought, glanced around at the room, “I can milk a goat and cut peat for the fire,” she spoke up suddenly, seeing the smile flirt around his lips. “The nuns, you know,” she offered as an explanation as a chuckle escaped him. **  
**  
__“Impressive,” he spoke, still fighting the laughter trying to escape before he sighed and looked back at his work. “I suppose if there was ever an uprising that sent my line into hiding, I could always get by as a blacksmith.” **  
**  
__“But I'd save you,” she voiced quickly, watching as he looked up at her instantly, “And we could go to Scotland and rule there,” she continued, it was obvious, wasn’t it? **  
**  
__He stared at her, seemingly lost for a moment, “That’s a,” he cleared his throat, “that’s a very kind offer. I hope I never have to take you up on it.” **  
**  
__“As do I,” she agreed. While she’d easily offer the safety and security, she didn’t want to see any harm come to him or his family, or his country. **  
**  
__He nodded, then bowed and took his leave, leaving her to look around her old rooms, to look at what he had made of them. **  
**  
_**:-:-:-:-:-: _  
  
_** “Rosemary...” _ **  
**  
_ She woke slowly, at the familiar voice saying her name, and it took her a minute to process where she was before she remembered staying at Sasha's the entire night doing research. _ **  
**  
_ “Andrew?” she asked with a frown as she opened her eyes, “What are you doing here?” _ **  
**  
_ “Sasha had my number from last weekend, she messaged me to say you weren't going to work today and would be here. So, I came here…” _ **  
**  
_ “Oh,” she nodded slowly, looking past him to see Sasha bringing tea in. _ **  
**  
_ “What's wrong?” he asked softly, brushing her hair back, “Are you sick?” _ **  
**  
_ “No,” she answered as she sat up, moving so the couch could be used by others and wasn't surprised when he moved to sit next to her immediately. “I just haven't been sleeping well this week, didn't get much sleep at all last night, so I called in today.” _ **  
**  
_ “That's not good,” he spoke with a frown, “How'd you end up at Sasha's though?” he asked, taking the cup of tea the other woman held out for her and passing it over. _ **  
**  
_ “Sasha was helping me figure out why I haven't been sleeping well,” Rosemary admitted, not entirely sure how he would take the explanation she had to give for everything. _ **  
**  
_ He glanced between the two women, before sitting back, letting himself relax into the couch, and she knew he was settling in for however long this was going to take, even as he reached out and threaded his fingers through the fingers of her hand closest to his. “So?” _ **  
**  
_ “I used to have these dreams when I was little,” she began, “not like once in a while, all the time. Different dreams, but the person I was in them never changed. Where I was changed, who I was around, where I was. When I was very young, I was one of three places, either with four other girls all named Mary, though those were rarer, or with another group of four girls that I seemed closer to, or with a large group of females at a place I later realized was a convent. Of course, I didn't figure that out until middle school, what a convent even was,” she shook her head. _ **  
**  
_ “These dreams weren't linear, they jumped back and forth, and now and again there were the really rare ones, where I was with a little boy, those were my favorite,” she admitted with a small smile. “They got me through my childhood you know," she dared a glance at him to find him nodding with an understanding look. They didn't talk much about her childhood, he had been giving her space on that front. "As I got older, they changed, the four girls named Mary were gone, though the other four were there. And the blonde boy I had played with was back, at least I _knew_ he was back…" she corrected herself.  "I never saw him, though I heard him referenced in conversations with the other girls. They were my friends, and we all lived at some European Court, and we would talk about life, about the need to find them husband's, about the need to deal with my engagement that had been in place for years to that same boy I had once played with.” _ **  
**  
_ She dared another glance at him, found him watching her intently, but beyond that his expression was neutral as she continued to explain before she lost her nerve. “As I got older, late teens, the dreams shifted to include things after my marriage, conversations about fights with my husband, conversations with the girls about their marriages, seeing one of them with her baby… I never saw my husband though, never had a _clue_ what he looked like or any dreams about being with him,  it was only a general knowledge about him. Those dreams shaped who I was though, in a way," she admitted softly, "it was part of why I had such ‘old-fashioned’ beliefs as everyone likes to tease me. I remember in those dreams talking to Greer about how my husband and I would save our disagreements until we were alone, or how anyone in the Court would, well except the King and Queen, and I was determined to not be like _them_. I remembered how the King would flaunt his mistresses and it hit me wrong, but then I remembered conversations with Kenna about how lucky she and I were that our husbands had no interest in taking a mistress, how much it showed their love for us…” she trailed off, shaking her head before taking a sip of her tea to clear that train of thought. _ **  
**  
_ “They tapered off since I met you," She let herself look at him again, finding not much had changed in his expression, saw the small smile he gave her when he saw her looking at him, before she focused back on her tea, not wanting to see that smile fade at the rest of her story. "And then, I had one Saturday night in Sacramento. And another one early Monday morning, and Wednesday morning, and then last night… I knew Sasha could at least listen and came to talk to her when I woke up last night, cause I feel like I'm going crazy.” she admitted on a sigh. _ **  
**  
_ “Because you have been having these realistic dreams all your life?” he asked gently. “Lots of people have realistic dreams,” he countered just as softly as she'd been talking. _ **  
**  
_ “Except, I'm not so sure these _are_ dreams anymore,” Rosemary began quietly, leaning forward to set her teacup down and pick up the notebook she had used for her research. “I spent most of last night writing down everything I could remember, I do mean _everything_ , not just the stuff from the happy dreams. I did research online, seeing if anything lined up," she paused and took a breath for courage, "I think they are memories, memories of a past life I once lived. And I _know_ it sounds crazy,” she rushed out before he could say anything, “Trust me I know it does, but we spent all night looking into this. And I think it makes sense. And it's completely terrifying and insane, and a bit exhilarating… And I don't expect you to _believe_ , and I get it if this is too much, but I had to find out, I just  _had_ to.” she finished helplessly, looking over at Sasha. _ **  
**  
_ “Why?” he asked with a frown in his voice, “Why do you  _have_ to know? What am I missing here?” _ **  
**  
_ Rosemary took a deep breath then turned to face him, “The dream I had Saturday was when I arrived back at the Court after being at the convent, and I met my betrothed for the first time since we were nine. _Saw_ him for the first time as a grown man, or as close to a grown man as I think he ever got. This whole week has been nothing but dreams about my life with him, heartbreaking in many ways either because they showed how happy we were, or how much our lives were so far from simple and easy…” she trailed off, glancing away a moment at the pain in his eyes. “I'm not saying this to hurt you…” _ **  
**  
_ “Then why are you?” he asked quietly. _ **  
**  
_ “The boy I saw in the first dream this week, the boy I've seen every dream this week… he looks exactly like _you_ Andrew. A little younger than you, but you. Your curls, your eyes, it's _you_ , she explained softly, watching his confusion spread. _ **  
**  
_ “Maybe your brain just inserted me into your dreams,” he pointed out carefully, she could see him debating his words in how he had slowed down his speech pattern. _ **  
**  
_ “I thought that, too,” she agreed, “except the very first time I saw you, before we truly met, I said something. And it was a name…” _ **  
**  
_ “Francis,” Andrew interjected. _ **  
**  
_ Rosemary's head shot up as she looked up at him in surprise, “You heard me that day?” _ **  
**  
_ “Yeah,” he agreed quietly, “I thought it was odd, because Francis is my middle name.” _ **  
**  
_ “It is?” Rosemary and Sasha asked in unison, sharing a look of surprise. _ **  
**  
_ “Yes,” he agreed, looking between them, confusion taking over his features once more. “Why?” _ **  
**  
_ “Francis was the name of the man I married in the dreams," she explained as gently as she could. "Everything I could remember about them, when we put it together, looked into things and did research, we think we narrowed down who I might have been if it _had_ been a past life.” _ **  
**  
_ “You really think that past lives might exist?” he quizzed with a small frown. _ **  
**  
_ “It's the  _only_ thing that makes sense right now,” she countered quietly, “I'd rather think I'm remembering a past life, than think my mind has developed some sort of split personality, that I'm simply crazy…” _ **  
**  
_ “ _No_ ,” Andrew countered quickly, his frown fading to a look of concern, “you _aren't_ crazy Rosemary, I'm sure of that.” _ **  
**  
_ “But you aren't willing to consider the possibility of past lives existing,” Sasha pointed out gently. _ **  
**  
_ “It sounds…” he trailed off as he looked at her. _ **  
**  
_ “Crazy,” Rosemary supplied, his gaze swinging back to her. _ **  
**  
_ “Maybe you created this world to deal with what happened when you were a child. There's evidence that children create amazing worlds to escape to when they experience trauma…” he trailed off helplessly. _ **  
**  
_ Sasha held out the book that had been next to her, “Rosemary dug this out of a box about five this morning, her diary when she was ten, done long before she started studying History as thoroughly as she has in high school and college.” _ **  
**  
_ “It's where I got Francis’ parents' names from, his brothers', Lola's husband’s and son's, a lot of other details I recorded at different times over that year,” Rosemary explained, tapping the notebook where she had drawn a family tree. “There are parts missing in History, but then that's how History works, it's recorded by the _survivors_. I found someone named Mary, who married a boy named Francis, whose parents were named Henry and Catherine. Francis had several siblings I had names for, including two whole brothers named Charles and Henry, and a half-brother named Sebastian, but history wouldn't remember a half-brother. He had a sister named Claude. I found a family that matches them. I couldn't find any of Mary's four friends, the ones not named Mary, but the Mary I found had four friends named Mary recorded. And while I didn't find the other four, I found one reference to Lola's husband, a reference to him having six wives, even if there is no surviving record of his fifth, _that_ was Lola.” _ **  
**  
_ Andrew looked at the family tree she had drawn, saw Kenna's connection to Sebastian as he traced a finger along it and over to Francis, followed along to Jean Philippe and Lola, to her husband Stephane before he looked up at her, “Who is she? This Mary?” he asked as he tapped the name connected with a line to Francis. _ **  
**  
_ Rosemary sighed, reached over to pick up her tablet and flip it over to the Wikipedia page she had left open, “I know it seems crazy,” she voiced softly as she passed it to him. _ **  
**  
_ “Mary Stuart…” he whispered, “You think you were Mary, Queen of Scots.” _ **  
**  
_ She sighed softly, recognizing the exact look on his face, in his eyes. He'd worn it before when she had told Francis about a prophecy that his death would happen if they wed. “You think I'm crazy to believe.” _ **  
**  
_ “Rosemary…” he began gently. _ **  
**  
_ “No Andrew,” she interrupted, raising a hand to his cheek, “I  _know_ , I know it sounds crazy, and you can probably think of a dozen reasons,  _logical_ reasons, for my dreams. I do believe it though, as crazy as it is. I  _believe_ I lived before this life, I  _believe_  I was Mary Stuart. I  _believe_ I truly loved a young King named Francis, and in a way, I wonder if fate hasn't given both of us a second chance…” she watched him pull away, watched the walls fall down between them. “Francis never did believe, always so logical,  _always_ so sure…” _ **  
**  
_ “Stop it,” he hissed, standing up, she let him go, not surprised, watched as he reached out to gently touch her cheek, look at her with concern, “Rosemary,  _please_ , you haven't been sleeping well. Why don't I take you downstairs, you can get some rest and when you have…” _ **  
**  
_ “I'll forget all this?” she asked softly, “No,” she corrected, watching as he pulled away as if burned, “I  _won't_ Andrew, I can accept that you can't believe. But if  _you_ can't accept that I  _believe_ , then you should go.” _ **  
**  
_ “ _What_?” he looked at her, confusion warring with hurt, and her heart broke at the pain in his storm-gray eyes. “I love you…” _ **  
**  
_ “I  _know_ ,” she smiled softly, “I love you too, I know that now," she admitted with a sad smile, "I love  _everything_ about you, including that you believe so strongly in what you can see and touch; but if you can’t accept that I can believe in something so impossible, so  _illogical_ , then can you truly say you love me, all of me?” she challenged gently. “And if you can’t answer that question, you should go until you can.” _ **  
**  
_ Andrew closed his eyes, nodded slowly, then turned and left the house without a word. _ **  
**  
_ “Are you sure about this?” Sasha asked carefully, watching her after they heard the door shut. _ **  
**  
_ “No,” Rosemary admitted on a half sob, her hand raising up to cover her mouth, trying to stop the tears before they escaped. “Oh God Sasha, what have I done?” she whispered, looking over at the other woman. “He’s not going to come back, I _know_ he’s not… He’s  _Francis_ , I know he is, and he  _never_ believed, he didn’t believe until the day he died and he had to face the truth… And I just sent him away…” she trailed off as the tears started to fall, and she couldn’t talk around the tightening in her chest. _ **  
**  
_ “Shh,” Sasha whispered as she gathered Rosemary up in her arms, carefully rocking her back and forth. _ **  
**  
_ “If he  _truly_ loves you, he’ll find his way back to you. He fought for you in that life, he’ll fight for you in this life,” she pointed out gently once Rosemary had cried all her tears. _ **  
**  
_ “Why would he?” she asked softly, “In that life, we had already all but wed in the eyes of God, promised ourselves to each other when I left him. My issues in this life have kept us from doing much more than hold hands and hug. Maybe love  _isn’t_ enough, it was barely enough to keep us together after all I put him through in that life.  _God_!” she pushed herself out of Sasha’s arms and stood up to pace the room, “It’s all bits and pieces, fragments of a lifetime of dreams, but I can piece things together in a way. It’s so fucking  _ironic_ ,” she spat, arm flying through the air. “What happened with the Protestants in that life, how Francis and I ended up living separate lives, and then in this life how I was already damaged when the man he became found me. Was this some sort of  _cosmic joke_?” she hissed towards the ceiling. _ **  
**  
_ “Hell look at the questions about my third husband in that life, am I just fate’s  _plaything_?” she threw up her hands in the air as she spun around to look at Sasha. “Is there some mark on my soul that says ‘here, this one's easy pickings?’,” she reached up to press a finger to the spot just above her nose, “Do I have some mark on my forehead that I can’t see but the perverts of the world can?” _ **  
**  
_ Sasha shook her head, “I highly doubt it works that way, sweetie,” she pointed out gently, “We’re women, we’re always viewed as the weaker sex, men think they are stronger and they take what they want. It’s horrible and cruel, and  _so_ terrible. And yet, we rise above it, proving we are the stronger ones. Look what you did then, you  _lived_ , perhaps in not the best of circumstances, perhaps in the end you still died, but even as you had no choice in your death, you died with _dignity_. _ **  
**  
_ “And look at what you’ve done in  _this_ life,” she continued, “you’ve found a way to live a life that works for you. You’re going to college, you have a home _and_ a job," she pointed out, harking back to conversations in high school when she'd confided in her friends her fear of never figuring out how to make things work as an adult. "You did find someone, and not only try dating, but you fell in love. You  _took_ that chance," Sasha pointed out with a sort of proud smile, another call back to her fears spoken of only in the dark of the night as they shared a room while her life was falling apart. "And I _think_ , that given the chance, you and Andrew, _if_ he can open his eyes, will have an  _amazing_ life together, regardless of what happened in your childhood. And if things don’t work out with Andrew, I think that you can still find someone else." She ignored when Rosemary looked at her in disbelief, "Perhaps not as all-consuming a love as you could have found with Andrew, because of the connection you share with him, but you _could_ find someone else you could be happy with, and share a life with  _regardless_ of your childhood.” _ **  
**  
_ Sasha stood up and walked over to her, placing her hands on Rosemary’s shoulders, holding her still and forcing her to look at her; an action learned from her Grandmother. Rosemary couldn't count the number of times she'd been pinned with the same look Sasha was giving her, in the aged eyes of a woman who had never let her voice her fears she was broken in her presence without arguing. “You are a _survivor_ Rosemary Anne Douglas, and more than that, you are  _living_ , never think otherwise.” _ **  
**  
_ She nodded, trying to take all of Sasha’s words to heart, trying to get past the dark thoughts in her own head. “I think right now, I just want to curl up and go to sleep,” she admitted sadly. _ **  
**  
_ “That makes complete sense,” Sasha smiled gently. “Want help downstairs, or would you rather just steal my guest room?” _ **  
**  
_ “I think I’ll take your guest room, I’m too exhausted to deal with stairs,” she could feel it all now, the weight that felt like it was pressing her into the floor, the grief and darkness threatening to consume her. _ **  
**  
_ “Come on, let’s go get you settled in then,” she spoke as she Rosemary down the hall to the spare bedroom, “Stay all day if you want, I’ll go check on Smokey after you’re settled in.” _ **  
**  
_**:-:-:-:-:-: _  
  
_** May 27th, 2015 _ **  
**  
_ Dearest Rosie, _ **  
**  
_ It's really complicated, more than I want to get into right now so forgive me not explaining, I'm pretty sure Andrew and I broke up a few days ago. I told him to go until he decided he knew he could deal with everything about me, and I haven't heard anything from him. I'm not expecting to hear anything from him, not that I can blame him. _ **  
**  
_ Tell Richard hello for me, and don't stress about your exams, you will both do fine. _ **  
**  
_ Love,  
Mary  
  
**:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** June 4th, 2015  
  
Dearest Mary,  
  
Cousin of mine, don't give up hope. Give your Andrew a chance to prove he is one of the good guys. I'm sure he just needed time to process whatever you said.  
  
How did your exams go? Do you have your degree already or am I ahead of the schedule in America?  
  
Love,  
Rose _ **  
**  
_ P.S. Disney Tokyo in the fall?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my loves,
> 
> The crazy week has been survived, and so here I am, before I start another long busy streak of days - though thankfully nothing as stressful as court again lol.
> 
> Here's chapter four, hope everyone enjoys. 
> 
> Blerblerbler - I didn't want to give it away when you commented on chapter 2, though it probably was writing on the wall lol, yes you were right about Mary/Francis.
> 
> thank you for the reviews and kudos I've gotten, they've been lovely to find when I've spent all day going crazy with real life :-)


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I realized today, that my brain pulled a weird switch-up and because I was hunting for Francis' name to put as a character in the tags, I accidentally put Francis' name in the summary... Changed the story summary to Andrew's proper name lol, so if anyone notices the change, that's what happened

**:-:-:-:-:-:  
****Chapter 4  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Saturday, December 31** **st** **, 2016  
****Vallejo, California  
****6:09 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “Well,” Sasha spoke as she stopped in front of her driveway, looking him up and down. He was pretty sure he probably resembled a 5’10” drowned rat, as while he had tried to make use of his umbrella, the rain and wind had seemed determined to make it impossible. “I was starting to wonder if you’d _ever_ get your act together and show up.” **  
  
** He blinked once, then again as he took in the woman standing under her own umbrella, and quickly reigned in the flare of temper at her words. “I’ve been here _every_ weekend for the last three months,” he countered evenly, “Before that, I was down whenever I could get away from my studies since I got back in September. Every time I’ve been here, you haven’t. Neither has _she_ …” **  
  
** Sasha shook her head, “Andrew,” she began before sighing and taking a moment to continue. “ _I’m_ _sorry._  I’ve been working more farmer’s markets for about a year now, so I’m not home during the daytime very much." She frowned as she looked at him for a long moment, "You do realize you missed the last ferry home, right?” she eyed him warily. **  
  
** “I don’t care,” he admitted. “ _Where_ is she? She never transferred to SF State like she had been planning, I know, I’ve looked for her,” he couldn't help throwing that out after her earlier statement. The fight in him faded away as he glanced at the darkened doorway that led to her apartment. “Where did she go?” **  
  
** He knew he probably sounded pitiful as they stood there in the rain; but in truth, he didn’t really care. **  
  
** Sasha sighed and shook her head again, “Come inside before you catch your death,” she instructed as she started towards the stairs. **  
  
** He followed silently, leaving his umbrella outside where she left hers on the porch, took his shoes off and left them by the front door so he wouldn’t get water all over her floors. He slipped his jacket off, looking around, wondering where to put it before she appeared and quietly took it from him to disappear into the bathroom with it. **  
  
** “Sit Andrew, I’ll make tea," she instructed when she emerged from the bathroom, turning towards the kitchen. "Have you been standing out there all day?” she called from the other room. **  
  
** "The rain didn’t start until a short time ago,” he offered, moving towards the living room as instructed. He eyed the couch warily, part of him not wanting to sit where they had sat together one last time so long ago; before he messed things up so badly. **  
  
** “You call four hours of steady rain, ‘a short time’?” Sasha asked as she came back into the room, “kettle is on. You take the chair,” she waved her hand towards it, and he gratefully listened, glad for the excuse to not have to sit on the couch. “So,” she began as she sat down, “you checked the school, but only started coming here in September... Forgive me Andrew, but what took you so long?” **  
  
** He blinked a few times, brain trying to wrap around the fact he was having this conversation with her; before looking over at Sasha. She was one of Rosemary's best friends, he supposed it was only fair that she would demand answers. “I was going to come over the summer, but my sister got sick. I spent the entire summer in Long Beach helping out. Before that, I spent most of last spring trying to figure out if she was somewhere in San Francisco since I had heard from Kendall she had quit her job with plans to prepare for college…” **  
  
** “Ahh,” Sasha nodded, the stern look she'd been giving him fading some. “She didn’t go to SF State in the end,” she voiced gently, watching him intently. “When you didn’t come back, she took it as proof of what she already knew, that you couldn’t accept what she believed. She didn’t feel she could be at the same university as you while both of you were trying to cope with everything, to get over the pain of not being together even if you loved each other. She went to UC Santa Cruz instead…” **  
  
** “Really?” He couldn’t help the hopeful note in his voice. UC Santa Cruz was less than two hours by car from San Francisco, he could drive there before school restarted… **  
**  
“She’s not there Andrew,” Sasha spoke up quickly. “She’s studying abroad,” she explained when he looked back at her with confusion no doubt written all over his face. “The history department encourages it, she did three semesters at Santa Cruz, then went to do a year abroad. She should hopefully return in time for Commencement, at least that's the plan, barring any issues with the end of year assessments at her university there from what she’s written.” **  
  
******“Oh,” he looked down at his hands, mind racing as it tried to adjust to this new concept. “You wouldn’t be willing to share her contact information would you, or give her mine if you think she’d rather it be done that way…” he looked up at her. **  
**  
Sasha opened her mouth to say something, then held up a hand as they heard the kettle in the kitchen, and she disappeared a moment later. He listened as the kettle stopped, as she moved around and he heard clinks and other noises indicating she was doing something before she returned with a teapot and two mugs on a tray that also held a creamer and sugar bowl and two spoons. **  
  
** “It’s just regular black tea,” she explained as she set it on the coffee table, “Probably still needs a few minutes to steep, but I figured it could do that in here as well as there,” she explained as she sat down. “I was going to ask...  _what_ changed? You left that day, when she told you to, I assume because you couldn’t accept her belief. As much as I know she cared, as I suspect she still does, if you can’t accept her belief about her own past life then her request for you to go until you can isn’t going to have changed…” **  
  
** Andrew sighed, he had known this was going to come, he had just thought it would be Rosemary, not Sasha he’d have to explain any of this to. “Would you accept that I realized if I love her, it means I love all of her?” Sasha simply gave him a long look, and he shrugged, “It was worth a try,” he argued in his defense. “Look, I’d honestly rather explain most of this to her directly…” **  
  
** “So tell me what you _are_ comfortable telling me,” Sasha countered. “Considering I’ve been waiting over a  year and a half for you to come to your senses and fix things…” she trailed off with a shrug of her own. **  
  
** “I missed her,” Andrew admitted after a moment. “I thought she was exhausted and sick, was frustrated she couldn’t see how crazy she sounded… but I _missed_ her. I almost came back, until what she said came back to me, and I knew that if I came back she’d think it meant I had found a way to accept what she believed. I couldn’t give her that false hope, so I stayed away, threw myself into my studies, distracted myself with my friends. Before I knew it, the semester was over and it was my sister’s graduation so I had to go home. My mother refused to let me leave when she saw how terrible I looked, and suddenly, it was August. I think I spent most of that summer sleeping, until Rachel beat me up with a pillow told me to get my ass out of bed and go back to San Francisco and work things out with the woman I loved because I was a miserable fuck,” he half smiled at the memory of his sister holding the pillow over his head, ready to hit him a second time if needed. **  
  
** “I took most of that first semester trying to figure out what I’d tell her because I loved her. I didn’t want us to be apart, even if I couldn’t quite believe everything she believed. Tried to work out in my own head and heart if I could accept what she believed, at least enough to accept that she believed it, you know?" he looked at her, saw her nod. "I knew how important that was to her…” **  
  
** “And you found a way?” Sasha asked as she moved to pour their tea. **  
  
** “That’s one way to put it,” he agreed, “I found it doesn’t matter is another way to put it. Why does it matter if she lived before, or if we both did? What matters is this life, I _can’t_ lose her in this life. So I came back to Vallejo and found out from Kendall about her preparing for college and started searching for her in the City. In the end, I went to every Professor that teaches a history class looking for her, and when that came up empty I started coming back here. But then, like I said I had the interruption of the summer so…” he trailed off with a sigh, so much time wasted because he had to be stubborn. **  
  
** “Is your sister alright?” Sasha asked softly. **  
  
** “She is, now,” Andrew smiled, as he thought of his sister before it faded away as he returned to the conversation at hand. “Will you give her my information?” **  
  
** Sasha pursed her lips together, then rose and walked into the kitchen. When she returned, she handed him a postcard, “We don’t exactly communicate regularly. She’s so busy, she doesn’t have time to talk. Well, that and the time difference," she shrugged before pointing at the postcard he held. "I got this at Christmas, it’s the best we have to show she’s doing alright. Everyone got one, Steph and Kyla, her mom…" she moved to sit back down. "The truth is, none of us have had any communication with her, she doesn’t email, doesn’t skype, hasn’t even been on facebook. If it wasn’t for that postcard, and the one we all got at Thanksgiving, before that at Halloween…" she trailed off with another shake of her head, "Well, we’d thrown around the idea of pooling our money and sending one of us to England. I should say Steph, Kyla and I had, I’m not sure what Mary thinks, she barely talks with any of us, hasn’t had much communication with us since high school…” Sasha shrugged, obviously not caring about her relationship with Rosemary's mother. “It’s the best I have though, maybe you can do something with it…” **  
  
** He flipped the postcard over, from the image of Brighton on one side to Rosemary’s neat cursive on back wishing a Merry Christmas, claiming she was enjoying her studies, that England was beautiful, cold but beautiful. She asked about Smokey, promised she’d send another postcard when she could. He took in the address there in Brighton, then looked up at Sasha. “Any idea when her spring break is by chance?” he asked after a moment as he thought through options **  
  
** “Not a clue,” Sasha admitted. "I imagine she’s probably staying there like she did for winter break. I think she plans to stay as long as she can. If it wasn’t for Commencement, I have a feeling she’d use every day of her visa." She remained silent a minute, drinking her tea before she seemed to have decided on something if her expression was an indication. "She’s headed to Irvine this summer, to take their Teacher program for a year, just to give you that head’s up Andrew.”  
**  
** He had a feeling Rosemary might not be happy she was volunteering that information, but he was more than grateful. “I knew she’d have a year left after I finished,” he voiced, flipping the postcard over and over in his hands as he contemplated his options. “I didn’t know she'd decided on Irvine for her final year. It’s in Orange County…” he mused, thinking along the lines of possible long-term plans. **  
  
** “Not far from Long Beach…” Sasha agreed with a nonchalance he had a feeling was completely faked. “Did you have any plans after you finish your degree?” She was definitely plotting, he realized suddenly that his mom and Sasha would get on like a house on fire. **  
  
** “My parents want me to come back to Long Beach, try starting out there," he answered honestly, "I originally was planning on staying up north, but after this summer, I was debating it. Ari…” he trailed off, shook his head. **  
  
** “It was Arianna who got sick?” He heard the surprise, and concern in her voice. **  
  
******“Yes,” he agreed after a moment. “She wants me to come back, how can I tell her no?” he continued with a shrug, “It seems like it will have an added benefit if Rosemary will be going to school in Irvine if I can convince her to give us a second chance that is.” **  
  
** “I wish you the best of luck, _truly_ I do,” Sasha smiled, reaching out to lay a hand on his shoulder. “Stay the night Andrew. You can head back to the city tomorrow on Bart if you don’t want to wait for the ferry.” **  
  
** “Thank you,” he smiled up at her, “Not just for the room.” **  
  
** “I know,” she nodded. “Be forewarned, Smokey has been living in the guest room. Though, I suspect you won’t mind…" **  
  
** He smiled at the thought of her cat, “No, I don’t mind.” **  
  
** “Good,” Sasha spoke as she stood and headed for the kitchen, “as he likes to sleep on the pillows.” **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Saturday, March 19** **th** **, 2017  
****Brighton, United Kingdom  
****12:38 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** She looked up at the knock on her door with a slight frown but rose from her bed just the same to go answer the door and see what one of her housemates wanted. She had told them that she would be studying today and didn’t want to go out, so she wasn’t sure why one of them _would_ be knocking.“Yes, Tiffany?” she asked as she opened the door, taking in the blonde standing on the other side. **  
  
** “Sorry to bother you,” Tiffany began, “but there’s someone at the front door for you.” **  
  
** “There is?” she frowned again, stepping out of the room to go investigate.  
  
She didn’t have a study session with anyone, and she didn’t have any projects currently, so unless her mother had informed her cousin she was in Brighton, which was unlikely, she didn't know anyone who might just drop in on her. Who could be there looking for her quite frankly boggled her brain. “You didn’t by chance get a name did you?” she quizzed, looking back at Tiffany as they walked down the hall. **  
  
** “Sorry, didn’t think to. He’s American if that helps any. And _really_ cute…” she offered with a shrug **  
  
** Rosemary rolled her eyes as she focused back on the path she was taking, Tiffany had dated three guys this month so far, it figured she’d notice the man’s appearance and _not_ think to get a name. “Thanks, Tiffany, I got it,” she called back, hoping the other girl would take the hint and _not_ continue following.  
  
She glanced back just before she reached the door, glad to see Tiffany had disappeared, before she focused on the door, “Hi, can I help y…” she began as she opened the door, stuttering to a stop as she took in the familiar blonde curls, though they were longer, brushing fully along his collar where before they had only barely touched it in places, the blue eyes that still haunted her dreams. He looked even more like Francis had at the end of his life, instead of before where it was like looking at the idealistic boy she had married. “Andrew?” she whispered, “Oh God, I’ve finally done it, I’ve finally lost my mind…”  
  
She had to have, to be seeing Andrew with more of the appearance of Francis at the end of his life. **  
  
** “No,” he spoke up quickly, voice soft, “You _haven’t_ lost your mind, Rosemary,” he continued gently. “I’m _not_ an apparition or a figment of your imagination. Your roommate went to get you because I truly did knock on the door, I’m _really_ here.”  
  
She blinked at him, then using the arm not holding the door, she reached over to pinch herself, “Damn that hurt,” she muttered as she looked at the mark she had left, before focusing on him, her eyes narrowing as her mind finally started processing everything. “Wait, how the _hell_ did you even find me?”  
  
His face took on a sheepish look, and he reached behind his back, producing a postcard that she quickly snatched away and flipped over, searching for the address.  
  
“Sasha…” she growled lightly, she’d have to break and Skype her friend, find how what the devil Sasha had been thinking.  
  
“Would you believe I stole it off her fridge?” he asked with a raised eyebrow. She looked up at him, her own eyebrow rising slowly as his fell. “It was worth a try,” he offered, “Don’t be mad at her…”  
  
“I won’t be…" she began, "later,” she added with a frown to the postcard before focusing on him and sighing. “Andrew... What are you _doing_ here?” she asked softly, trying not to let him see how much seeing him, now that she knew he was really in front of her, actually hurt. She was thankful it didn't show in her voice, though she feared it was written all over her face.  
  
“I _needed_ to see you,” he began softly, before continuing in a rush. “I know you aren’t on break yet, but I was, so I took a chance. I’ll take whatever time you can give me around your studies, but _please_ … give me a chance to talk to you. I’ll be here til Friday...”  
  
She watched him, recognized the familiar look that he never had a reason to have in this life during their relationship; that look of longing and barely concealed hope. Francis had worn it so often when she had been trying to find a way to cope with her rape, before she tried to set him free, before she realized what Conde meant, long before Francis did. She closed her eyes slowly, against the memories trying to overwhelm her mind’s eyes, pushed the past back where it belonged so she could focus on him in the here and now.  
  
When she opened her eyes, he was still watching her, still waiting patiently. “I've got classes all week, but Friday is my short day. I don't know how much time I can spare, I spend most of my time studying, but I'll find the time.”  
  
“Thank you.” His smile could have lit up a room, at the very least it sent her heart doing little twists and her stomach doing flip-flops. “I'm staying at the Queen's Hotel, I don't know if you have any way to contact with phone or something, I know my cell isn't active but I have my computer and wifi so if you want to let me know if you have time or something, my information is still the same.”  
  
“Okay,” she nodded slowly.  
  
“I guess I'll see you later…” Andrew continued after a moment, turning to walk away.  
  
She had a fleeting image, the familiar area outside her building was gone and Andrew was wearing black, a sword at his hip, turning away from her and dismissing her pleas to listen, to forgive her stupidity.  
  
She couldn't let him just walk away.  
  
“ _Francis_ …” she began, reaching after him, catching herself an instant too late. Her eyes slammed shut as she swallowed back the panic that enveloped her chest, beating like a bird trying to escape against her ribs. “Andrew,” she started again, unable to help the note of sorrow as she opened her eyes, sure she'd see something in his eyes. She wasn't sure what she had thought she'd see if she was being honest, but she certainly wasn't expecting him to be watching her with what almost looked like concern, maybe even understanding… “I'm sorry, that slipped out, it _shouldn't_ have. I _know_ you are Andrew, please don't think I've gone that crazy…”  
  
“I don't,” he responded gently.  
  
“Okay,” she nodded, not fully sure she believed him, not willing to push after her slip. “I was going to say that I have maybe twenty minutes of work to finish the assignment I was working on. After that I can take a break for a couple of hours if you wanted to meet up then…” she explained carefully, half waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop.  
  
“Sounds great,” Andrew smiled, one of those warm smiles she loved. “I'll take a walk, be back in about half an hour.”  
  
“Alright,” she nodded for what felt like the umpteenth time. “See you then,” she agreed before slipping back inside, not letting herself watch him leave, afraid that she'd mess up again.  
  
Rosemary quickly made her way upstairs, throwing herself into her work so she could finish it as soon as she possible. She saved her work and shut down her laptop once the assignment was done, then straighten up the things she had out. She couldn't help the nervous energy as she eyed the clock, realizing she had managed to find herself with ten minutes until he said he'd be back. Definitely over-estimated her work.  
  
Realizing she would probably go crazy waiting, she crossed the room, opening the box she kept her jewelry in.  
  
She had treated herself to exactly one thing since being in England, locally made, she found it at the faires she had gone to. It had been a splurge, a huge splurge that she hadn't been able to truly ignore when she saw it at the fair in Lewes. The artist had been selling all sorts of jewelry that she made, including various replicas of famous pieces from history for the tourists that had come through the area.  
  
It had been labeled as Elizabeth’s, but she had recognized them from before they’d been sold to Elizabeth. A strand of hematite beads, replicating long lost black pearls that she wouldn’t have been able to afford if she had won the lottery, even if she could find a strand of similar quality and length to the ones Catherine had given to Francis to give to her the day of their wedding in Paris, wrapping them around her fingers.  
  
She had managed to walk away the first time she had seen them, convincing herself she didn't have the money. When she saw them again during Christmas, she had come home with the necklace in hand. She found the necklace had proven to be a comfort, one so similar to something from her first life, just as the rosary had been.  
  
Releasing a long sigh, she carefully unwrapped them from where she had unconsciously entwined the strand around her fingers and hand, realizing today wasn't the day to use them as a crutch to get through talking to Andrew.  
  
She liked to believe she wouldn't need a crutch, but as she was about to close the box she thought better and carefully grasped the dark red beads next to the hematite, slipping the rosary into her pocket. She had learned that the familiar act reciting the Rosary seemed to help keep her grounded in the present if she was too stressed, helped her through one too many history lectures as of late.  
  
Perhaps it could stop anymore slips with Andrew today.  
  
Catching sight of the clock, she grabbed a wool shawl and her purse and made her way back downstairs, letting Jacob know she was going out for a few hours and would call if she had a reason to be out late. She didn’t acknowledge the surprise on her housemate’s face as she slipped outside.  
  
Andrew was just coming up the walk, and she smiled as she approached him. “All done?” he asked as she came close.  
  
“All done,” she agreed with another in her seemingly endless supply of nods. When did she become a bobble-head doll?  
  
“We have an audience,” he nodded behind her towards the house.  
  
She didn’t bother looking, already knew that every one of her housemates that were home were most likely at various windows watching to see what was going on. She was known for never leaving home except for three reasons: classes or studying, the events arranged by the exchange program, or the very rare times she went to one of the local faires. She'd quickly learned that the faires were apparently incredibly dangerous to her pocket money. So, she knew that her leaving to go today with someone none of them had seen before, at any of the school arranged events, left them all curious beyond belief and undoubtedly left them all watching her leave. They'd be gossiping about her in minutes, and she knew she’d have endless questions if they caught her when she got home.  
  
“I’m not known for going places,” she explained as she looked up at him, suddenly realizing she didn't have a clue of what to do next. “Have you eaten anything?” she asked suddenly, latching onto a half-forming idea.  
  
“Not since I left London this morning,” he admitted with another of his sheepish smiles. “Why?”  
  
“There’s a park I go to occasionally to study, they have a cafe there. We can get there by bus, I thought maybe we can get something to eat, talk…” she explained with a small shrug.  
  
“That sounds like a wonderful plan,” Andrew smiled, “In that case, lead the way, you know the area far better than me,” he stepped back and turned, his arm sweeping out in an arch to show she could step forward.  
  
She nodded before leading him down the path towards the bus stop. As they walked the ten minutes to the stop, and waited for the bus, she rambled about life in England. Explained all the differences between classes here versus back home. She tried to ignore the small pang of longing, remembering how it used to be when they’d walk around Vallejo and he always held her arm, the physical space between them now was just one more reminder of the figurative space between them, the divide that she couldn’t see a way to get past.  
  
And yet, he was here  
  
Why he was here, she couldn’t fathom. Not really. He said he needed to see her, but he hadn’t explained anything beyond that at the time, and she hadn’t given him much of a chance if she was being honest. It was easier to ramble as they walked, as they waited, and as they rode the bus. She explained about the city as they traveled by bus, pointing out things in the distance, and almost twenty minutes after they got on the bus they were at the Saunders Park Cafe.  
  
Rosemary insisted on buying, and they had a momentary argument before he bowed down and accepted her insistence. Once they had their food, they wandered over to an empty bench and sat down, eating as they watched others enjoying the park.  
  
“What did you mean, when you said you needed to see me?” she asked softly, once she had finished her sandwich, rolling her hot chocolate cup between her hands lightly. “Why are you here Andrew?” she looked up at him.  
  
Andrew had a half smile when she looked up at him. “Honestly, I’ve been trying to find you for over a year. I got lucky on New Years, finally ran into Sasha and got that postcard. She mentioned that you hadn’t been in touch with anyone in any way other than the postcards you sent, so I didn’t know if writing would work..." he paused, shrugged, "Then I thought, well fuck it. And I took a chance and purchased a ticket three days later.”  
  
She looked up at him, watched as he played with his own hot chocolate cup as he continued, “I missed you immediately, I almost came back to Vallejo half a dozen times, but I remembered what you said. I didn’t want to give you false hope that I had accepted things when I believed you were exhausted and confused. So I stayed away, then went back to see Rachel graduate. Mom didn’t let me leave after, and I ended up spending the entire summer pretty much in bed until it was August and Rachel had had enough.”  
  
“What did your sister do?” she asked, noticing the slight red tinge to his ears, knowing something he found embarrassing was going through his mind.  
  
“She beat me up with a pillow, told me to go fix things with you because I was a miserable fuck,” he admitted, raising his eyes to hers and watching her intently. “I took a few months, trying to figure out how I could make it work. I didn’t believe what you believed but didn't know yet if I able to accept that you believed it. I understood that it was important to you, and I _knew_ that if we were going to try to make it work, I would have to figure out a way that could work for both of our sakes. In the end, I realized I didn’t care. If you believe you were Mary Stuart, if you were Mary Stuart, if you believed I was Francis or even if I was Francis. None of it mattered to me, what _mattered_ was here and now. If we were reincarnated or not, it’s the past. I didn’t want to lose what we had now, the chance for happiness that we had in the here and now. And I hoped it could be enough, so I went to Vallejo and saw Kendall and she told me that you weren’t working there anymore, had left the previous July from work to prepare for college. She admitted that as far as she knew you had even left Vallejo.”  
  
“I had,” she agreed slowly.  
  
“Yeah,” Andrew nodded. “So I went back to San Francisco, and I spent Spring Semester searching for you there knowing you had planned to go there. I went to every history professor to see if they knew you, and once I had proved you weren’t there I started trying to figure out my next course of action. Then I got a call from home...”  
  
Rosemary frowned, “What happened?” she asked carefully, knowing that somehow whatever that call had been, it wasn’t good.  
  
“Ari had been feeling sick off and on for weeks; since Easter actually. They did tests, found out she had early-stage leukemia. Rachel and I both came home from college and we didn’t leave until Mom forced us out the door to return to our studies for Fall Semester.”  
  
She couldn’t help reaching out to him, grasping his hand in her own, “Andrew, I’m _so_ sorry. How is she doing?” she asked softly.  
  
He smiled slightly, flipped his hand to catch hers back and give it a squeeze. “She’s better, it was so early, mercifully early, she was in remission by October. Thankfully, she’s stayed in remission and has been back to everything she was doing before she got sick.”  
  
“That’s wonderful,” she breathed, beyond thrilled that his sister was alright. “I’m glad to hear she’s doing better.”  
  
He nodded, “We all are, she’s amazing,” he smiled, before he took a sip of his hot chocolate. “Once I got back to school, I started back up with my hunt for you. Every weekend I was at Vallejo again, trying to find some sign of where you had gone. It took until New Years, when I finally decided that I didn’t care about missing my ferry. Sasha came home from working at the farmer’s market and found me on the driveway. She explained that you had opted to go to Santa Cruz, then explained you had gone on a study abroad when she saw I was already contemplating going to Santa Cruz. I managed to get the postcard, and...” he shrugged, “I’m here.”  
  
She nodded slowly, looking down at their joined hands, “So,” she began carefully, “You wanted to find me to see if we could make things work still. And you’ve been actively working at finding me for a year," she summarized. "So I’m guessing you still want to try to make things work…”  
  
Andrew nodded slowly, setting his cup down on the bench behind him, before focusing back on her. “I meant what I said in Sacramento, what I said again that day in May. I love you. That _hasn’t_ changed. I don't know if your feelings have changed, I can understand if they have considering it's been almost two years…”  
  
She looked up at him, watching him carefully as he spoke, as he trailed off and simply watched her watching him, waiting for her response. “My feelings haven't changed from the last time I saw you,” she began gently, “I know I still love you... It's," she paused, swallowed once. "It's complicated though,” she continued carefully, gazing down at their hands once more as she tried to find the words she needed to convey what she felt needed to be known. “I can understand what you are saying Andrew, that you don't care if I believe or if we had past lives, that you want to focus on the here and now. And it's a _beautiful_ thought, but, I think you need to better understand my thoughts and opinions before you truly make that decision,” she raised her eyes to his face, watching him for a reaction. He simply nodded and she took a breath, praying this went across well.  
  
“What I told you in Sacramento was true for me too. I did care, I just didn’t know if it was love, then, just like I explained after Cinderella. When I started having dreams after Sacramento, they helped me understand my own feelings better. In a weird way, by experiencing those dreams, the emotions from those dreams helped me understand that what I already felt for you _was_ love. So I did love Andrew, and I do love Andrew, and I’m making that separation for a reason,” she added quickly, taking a moment to set her own cup down then turn back to him.  
  
“There is also the other issue though, the one I know you have problems with. I _truly_ believe what I told you in May, that I lived a life before this. Since that day, I’ve had even more dreams and I remember _everything_ from that life. I know it sounds crazy, you have no idea how well I _know_ how crazy it sounds. And because I remember everything that she lived through, everything she felt, I know the love she felt for Francis. I look at you and I see Andrew, but, I also see Francis. Not all the time, but there are moments it slips through, like earlier… I can’t say that what I remember isn’t always going to be something that will hover over us, and I don’t know if that is something you can live with.”  
  
She had been able to watch him as she spoke, watching the way he remained calm and expressionless in a way she had known Francis to do so often when at court and they had to listen to the nobles and their complaints. She felt herself slipping between the present and past as he remained quietly watching her while she explained her side of things, and slipped her free hand into her pocket, starting up the mental Rosary so she could get through her fears, letting her eyes drop away from him when she finished.  
  
“Rosemary,” Andrew began gently, his fingers brushing along her cheek, though he made no move to raise her face or eyes to look at him. “I’m going to say something, and I’m not sure it’s the right way to say it, but it’s all I can think to say. It seems the only way to explain…”  
  
“What’s that?” she asked, reluctantly looking up to find him watching her intently, the mask gone, his eyes a stormy grey that tore at her heart.  
  
“You are my life, and I love you.”  
  
It was as if a switch had flipped, every thought in her mind stopped and she wasn’t in the park anymore. Instead, she was in Catherine’s chambers staring up at him in his black and gold coat, watching as he blamed himself for something that she couldn’t fathom any possible way could be his fault. She could feel the bruises, the aches and pains on her body that were only minor compared to the mind-numbing fear that wrapped around her heart and soul, keeping her away from her husband who wanted nothing more than to comfort her, and yet she couldn’t bear to have him closer than he was.  
  
“Rosemary... Rosemary… _Mary_!”  
  
She blinked once, then a second time, and Andrew came back into focus; his modern clothes, the bench they sat on as the afternoon sun spilled over the park, Catherine’s darkened rooms had disappeared. “What?” she asked automatically, before she shook her head slightly, still fighting away the images and memories as she focused fully on him.  
  
“Are you alright?” Andrew asked, face full of concern as he brushed her hair back, “You weren’t here... I mean you were, but you _weren’t_ …" he shook his head slightly. "I didn’t mean for it to do _that._  I didn’t mean to cause you to go catatonic…” His eyes darted back and forth as he searched her face, his hand cupping her cheek gently. “I’m so _sorry_ …”  
  
“It’s fine,” she spoke quickly, as her brain raced to process everything, stumbling to a halt on one thing. She raised her eyes to him with a frown of confusion, “Did you call me Mary?”  
  
Andrew ducked his head, squeezed her hand gently before raising his eyes back to hers. “It started after I decided I didn’t care,” he began with a half chuckle. “Ironic in a way I suppose. I thought it didn’t matter what you believed, didn’t matter if it was true or not, and then I had my own dream. I thought I was going mad from missing you," he admitted with a half smile. "And then they didn’t stop. I was still having them when I went home for Ari, ended up telling her a story about you; about how brave you'd been when facing the Plague. She thinks it’s a made-up story about a young Queen left on her own while her husband was away rescuing their friend when the Plague came, but it cheered her up when she couldn’t sleep one night," he shrugged slightly.  
  
“My mother overheard that one, and the other stories I told Ari afterwards about the young Queen and her King and their adventures growing up. She pulled me aside one night, asked me when I had started telling stories again. I was shocked, could just listen as she explained I had rambled off stories about my friend Mary when I was a toddler. They had stopped when I went to kindergarten, and she figured I had just let them fall away as part of growing up, but she was thankful I was using them to cheer up Ari.”  
  
“You remember?” she eyed him warily, half waiting for that long ago camera crew, but Kendall was in America so it was impossible.  
  
“I remember it all, every word, every moment,” he admitted, using her own words from a lifetime past, brushing his fingers against her cheek lightly. “Can you forgive me for putting you through this hell?”  
  
Rosemary couldn’t help the half laugh, half sob that escaped, before she caught herself, swallowing back the hysteria trying to escape. “Oh God Andrew, you think I could do _anything_ else?” she asked carefully, fighting to control her emotions, “I love you, I love _every_ part of you, who you are now and who you were then. Considering the hell we put each other through in France, how could I possibly _not_ forgive you for the same unwavering logic you always had?”  
  
“Well, I did put you through nearly two years of waiting,” he countered bringing his other hand up to cradle her jaw and neck, thumbs brushing along her skin in an achingly familiar way.  
  
“Two years that included the need to care for your family, _and_ you didn’t even know where to find me until three months ago,” she pointed out with a smile. “Is this _really_ happening?” she asked softly, unable to help the frown that took over her features as she looked up at him. “I’m _not_ dreaming this time, right?”  
  
“No,” Andrew agreed, leaning forward to kiss her forehead, right on the line she knew had formed between her eyebrows. “This is real, my love,” he continued softly. “You have cold hot chocolate behind you to verify,” he added with a smirk.  
  
Rosemary glanced back, saw her cup then looked at him and rolled her eyes.  
  
“So,” he began a moment later, letting his hands fall away from her neck, moving to take her hand in his own again, “What shall we do now?”  
  
She blinked at him, trying to make the topic jump with him, before she simply shook her head, “You have always loved to twist my head around, haven’t you?”  
  
“I am doing no such thing,” Andrew argued, though his smile belied his words. “It’s just that our drinks are either gone or cold, our food is eaten, and as nice a park as this is, I don’t imagine staying here all day is an option when you only have a shawl…” he looked towards her wrap. “So what shall we do next? Or do you need to be getting back to do more work?”  
  
Rosemary shook her head quickly, “It can wait," she spoke, already mentally contemplating how she could rework her coming week. "I’m going to have to share my time with you all week, school can wait today.”  
  
He tilted his head, regarding her seriously, “Are you sure? I didn’t come to Brighton to interrupt your studies… You had _better_ be graduating this spring so I can come to your ceremony,” he added with a pointed look, one that spoke of some sort of punishment if it didn’t work out.  
  
She couldn’t help but laugh as she climbed to her feet. “Everything else I had was just me working ahead anyway, I can spare the rest of today,” she explained, gathering her trash so she could find the nearest place to get rid of it. “Come on, I have an idea…”  
  
Andrew smiled and stood, gathering his own trash and following her to dispose of it, before he stopped her and held out his arm. Rosemary couldn’t help the smile as she slipped her arm into his, leaned her head on his shoulder for a moment, simply enjoying the feeling of being here again.  
  
“It’s less than ten minutes walk,” she explained, straightening up so they could walk. “And now you tell me about life in San Francisco,” she ordered lightly as they started walking.  
  
He chuckled but did as she ordered, talking about his classes as they walked farther down Lewes Road until they came to The Franklin Tavern.  
  
The conversation continued as they went inside and moved into an easier back and forth like so many conversations over so many meals before as they caught up with the last two years of their lives. She didn’t argue as he paid for the meal, and they took the bus back, where he walked her to her front door.  
  
Rosemary promised to come by the hotel when she had time the next day, both thankful the bus that went down Lewes Road went straight between his hotel and her home, making it an easy trip between them while he was in town.  
  
As she watched him walk away, she knew they had a long way to go still, in a lot of ways. They hadn’t figured out all the ins and outs of how they could possibly make this work.  
  
And yet, for the first time, she had hope that it would all work out, that their love could be enough.  
  
And that thankfully, miraculously, he could understand the complications of her life as Mary and her life as Rosemary, that he wouldn’t hold it against her that she couldn’t fully separate Francis from Andrew, because he’d at least be able to understand why it was easy to slip between the memories even if she knew that Andrew now may have aspects of Francis, but also knew that he had changed because of the life Andrew had lived.  
  
She quietly slipped past her housemates, making her way upstairs to her room and preparing for bed.  
  
For the first time since she had come to Brighton, she wasn’t looking forward to classes, but instead for classes to be over, so she could spend as much time as possible with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... it's less than a week since the last update lol. I'm hoping to have the next chapter up soon, but make no promises it won't be before next Sunday. We're in the midst of rearranging the house, and I'm trying to get notes going for NaNoWriMo, which was where I wrote this two years ago.
> 
> Which probably gives a small hint as to how wordy this will end up being lol


	6. Chapter 5

**:-:-:-:-:-:  
****Chapter 5  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** March 19th, 2017  
  
Dearest Rose,  
  
First, I'm a horrible cousin for not writing half a year.  
  
Forgive me, I was afraid of you deciding to visit or drag me back to Derbyshire next month, and I just haven't been up to the company. I promise I’ll explain more in a call if you write back with when is a good time to call.  
  
As you can see, I'm in Brighton.  
  
The real reason for this short note is to say, you were right. Andrew followed me here to make things right, he is one of the good guys. I don't know how it will all work, but right now I don't care. He loves me. Regardless of everything.  
  
Love,  
Mary  
  
P.S. For real this time, Disneyland Paris next month?  
  
**:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Sunday, March 20** **th** **, 2017  
****Brighton, United Kingdom  
****8:20 a.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
**_They walked around the grounds slowly, letting her have a chance to escape what his father had just announced, just demanded of her more than him. He enjoyed their simple time together, the feel of her hand in his, but still watched her quietly, waiting until she looked calmer.  
  
__“Are you breathing easier now?” he asked at last, once he had noticed the color returning to her cheeks.  
  
__“I still don’t want to go back to the castle,” Mary responded, glancing at him, “They'll want answers,” she admitted, and he didn’t like the look in her eyes, the fear that that made him worry she might do something drastic.  
  
__“My father didn't pose our marriage as a question, but I_ **_will_** _,” he spoke up, pulling her away from thoughts of England, pulling her away with the question that had been on his mind as they walked. “Do you_ **_want_ ** _this?”  
  
__“I want_ **_you_** _,” she answered immediately, and he could see the honesty in her eyes, in her face, “but I'm afraid,” she continued, looking away again and he knew he had lost her once more to her endlessly turning mind. “I don't_ **_want_ ** _to start a war. And what if my efforts fail? What if no one supports my claim in England?”  
  
__“Every Catholic_ **_will,_** _” he countered gently. “I_ **_know_ ** _you want time to sort this out, to assess what France and the Vatican can offer. And maybe we have time before the English Queen dies; before you have to stake your claim, but_ **_we_ ** _are a separate issue. And this is_ **_our_ ** _chance, right now, to be together, without anyone, or_ **_anything_** _, standing in our way.”  
  
__“What are you saying?” Mary asked and he could hear the confusion in her voice.  
  
__“Marry me. And we'll figure out what you should do with England later,” he explained simply.  
  
__“You mean trick your father, the_ **_King_ ** _of France, into believing that I agree with him?”  
  
__He couldn’t help the urge to chuckle at the disbelief in her tone, managed to contain the laughter though, knowing she wouldn't appreciate the humor. “Yes. We should deceive him. It's for a **very** good cause,” he added with a smile.  
  
__“And you won't pressure me later about England?” Mary countered.  
  
__“I'll_ **_pressure_ ** _you, and listen to you, and argue with you, and_ **_love_ ** _you until the day I die,” he answered honestly. “_ **_Together_** _, we'll decide what is right, as husband and wife,” he continued, before slipping down to one knee and gently grasping her hand. “Marry me. Say yes,” he urged as he looked up at her.  
  
__“Yes._ **_Yes_** _!” she answered with a large smile.  
  
__He grinned as he rose, capturing her lips with his. He couldn’t help himself, and picked her up, spinning her around as she giggled in his ear. Her giggles were like music, little notes of happiness as he put her back down and caught her hand to lead her back to the castle.  
  
__They slipped inside, trying to sneak through unnoticed but it was just their luck that the doors were loud as they shut and a guard noticed them, and they were informed their presence was requested by the King. They shared a look, and he squeezed her hand, before pulling it into the crook of his arm and together they went to find his father.  
  
__The doors of his father’s study were even louder as they closed behind them, than the main doors had been.  
  
_**:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** It took Andrew a few minutes to realize the loud banging hadn’t been only in his dreams, as he woke and returned to the present. It came again, and he realized it wasn't nearly as loud as it seemed in his sleep, two sharp raps on the door followed by silence.  
  
Throwing back the covers, he climbed off the bed. “Coming,” he called, hoping to stop the knocking, and crossed the short distance to the front door, unlocking and pulled it open, before he blinked in surprise. Reaching up with his free hand, he rubbed at sleep filled eyes, to make sure he wasn’t imagining things, but no, she was still there. “Rosemary?”  
  
“Hi,” she ducked her head, and he couldn’t help but smile as the slight blush crept along her cheeks, “You said to come when I had time…”  
  
He chuckled then and took a step back to fully open the door. “I wasn’t expecting that to be at..." he frowned as he realized he actually wasn't sure what time it was. "What is it anyway?” he asked, looking around for a clock.  
  
“It’s just after eight,” she admitted as she stepped in, watching as he shut the door. “You explained you had a kitchenette, so I brought stuff for breakfast,” she continued, holding up a bag. “I took a chance, knowing how busy things are going to be starting tomorrow with classes…”  
  
“Ahh,” he nodded, watching her as she looked around the studio, taking in the kitchen area on the wall with the door, the door just past it that led to the restroom, the bed he had just left, the table and chairs by the one window next to the tv in the opposite corner from where they stood. She looked back towards him, and he noticed the blush again before she moved to put the bag down on the counter.  
  
Only then did it click in his brain that he had slept in just his sweatpants, and she had never seen him without a shirt in this life. “Why don’t I go clean up, since I have a feeling if I offered to help with whatever you have planned you’d shoo me away anyway,” he offered softly.  
  
“You’re right, you aren’t allowed to help with breakfast,” she smiled as she focused on unpacking the bag, though she hadn’t faced him he caught the edges of the smile, the tone of her voice, and it warmed his heart to hear her relaxed as they had been two years before. “I’ll be fine, take your time…” she glanced up at him, and he saw the smile fully.  
  
“Alright,” he agreed, crossing to kiss her brow gently, before he slipped around her and stopped to grab clothes while she worked, heading for the shower that waited in the restroom.  
  
He went about his morning routine quickly, not wanting to leave her too long, simply because he wanted to enjoy every moment he could with her. He also couldn’t help but hold on to the happiness from the memories that had filled his sleep. He’d have to talk to her about it, ask her what it was like for her. He’d noticed that when it was good memories of the past, it could raise his mood for the rest of the day. The bad memories had often left him wanting nothing more than to find her and assure himself it was in the past, hoping that would break the dark mood that hung over him sometimes for days on end.  
  
It was so strange, having these two distinct set of memories.  
  
His life as Andrew was more real, more tangible, while his life as Francis was something he had to strive to remember events from during the daytime beyond basic facts. Some memories were stronger and stuck with him clearer: the image of Mary in her wedding dress as she walked to him, the day standing on the rampart as she told him she was pregnant, seeing her next to Conde laying on the ground as she explained why she had done what she had, as he finally realized what she had been trying so hard to tell him for weeks, the image of her swimming in a lake… There were others too; holding Jean the first time, a memory of him and Bash as children, a good memory of him and Catherine, the hunting trip with Henry when he was thirteen. It seemed to be the most important ones, moments that provoked some of the strongest feelings of love and connection to those who had meant so much to him.  
  
And of course the most recent ones he relived in dreams would be fresh and sharp for a few days, but then they’d fade away and he’d remember that an event that happened. He fully expected that come Friday he’d remember he had proposed to Mary, that they’d been blissfully happy in their youthful innocence, but he knew it was likely he wouldn’t remember the details of the walk, of the dress she had worn or the fears she had spoken of. He had gotten used to losing the details, remembering the concept of the event. He figured it was the brain's way of dealing with two distinct sets of memories, two lifetimes, and the present life was more important than the past, needed to be remembered in more detail.  
  
When he emerged from the bathroom, the first thing he saw was that the bed was made, as it was directly in front of him. His gaze darted around the room, and he found Rosemary sitting at the table staring out the window, idly trailing her finger around the rim of a teacup. She had set the table for two, and he saw a plate with a collection of pastries set to the side, a teapot, creamer, and sugar. There were also two bowls with what looked like oatmeal as he approached the table, he had to smile when he saw she had cut up a banana, it was nice to see she remembered he liked bananas in his after their breakfast in Sacramento.  
  
“Hi,” she spoke, looking over at him as he sat.  
  
“Hi, this looks great,” he nodded towards the table. “Thank you.”  
  
“You’re welcome,” she answered with an easy smile. “I know the hotel offers a buffet and I’m sure you previously saw it advertised as a ‘traditional full English breakfast’, but I also remember you aren’t a fan of large breakfasts, so I thought you might like something a little lighter.”  
  
“I was a bit nervous about braving the buffet,” he admitted with a laugh, “So, you are a lifesaver.”  
  
“Glad to help, and it helps I know this _amazing_ little bakery that I often have trouble resisting on Sundays,” she nodded towards the plate. “I’ve developed a great love for rock cakes and clotted cream on my scones, I’m seriously afraid of returning home to America and going crazy trying to get clotted cream.” Rosemary lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “Forgive me if I do something drastic in my withdrawals over the summer.”  
  
Andrew chuckled, “I think I’ll be able to find it in me to forgive you for your clotted cream withdrawals and whatever they may cause.”  
  
“Good,” she grinned before taking a sip of her tea. “I don’t know what you had planned for today, I don’t have to hang out all day, but I thought breakfast together might be nice at least…” she shrugged one shoulder as she began doctoring her own oatmeal.  
  
“I have absolutely nothing planned for the day,” he pointed out, following her lead to add ingredients to his. “Do you have to do any studying though, you mentioned you had been working ahead…" he paused, a spoonful of brown sugar in the air above his bowl. "I meant it, Rosemary, I don’t want my presence to interrupt your studies,” he gave her a long look.  
  
She rolled her eyes and looked over towards the bed, following her look he saw a backpack he hadn’t noticed she had earlier. “I brought my school stuff, just in case I had time to spare because you were busy, or something else.”  
  
“Good,” he smiled as he looked back at her. “So if the time conversion catches up with me and I need a nap, I don’t have to feel guilty as you can be studying. Or I can read a book while you study if you need more time."  
  
“Why does it sound like you are thinking we are spending all day together?” Rosemary was all smiles as she asked the question over her teacup. “Maybe I only planned to spend the morning with you,” she teased.  
  
“We both know that’s a load of bull,” Andrew countered, reaching across the table to brush the hair behind her ear. “Besides, you think I’m letting you out of my sight until I have no choice today?” he asked with a smile.  
  
“Good,” she smiled back.  
  
**:-:-:  
  
** “What are you playing with?” he asked, having watched her for twenty minutes as she sat working on an assignment at the table while he was propped up on the bed, supposed to be reading. He had noticed she had something in her hand as she started working, but as time went on she had gotten more caught up in what she was reading and he began to notice the movement of her hand, a slow repetitive slide of her thumb over her pointer finger. “Rosemary?” he spoke again when she didn’t seem to even hear him.  
  
Frowning at her continued lack of response, he set his book down and rose, walking over to get a better look at what she was doing. He took note of the subject she was reading about, the Religious Wars, and he had a momentary flash to Narcisse and edicts he didn’t want to sign, to numerous Protestant and Catholic fights that they had to deal with. Looking away from the book, he realized what she was playing with, watching the rosary move around her hand as she pushed the beads over the side of her finger one at a time with her thumb.  
  
“Rosemary,” he began again, kneeling down next to her, “Rose _mary_ ,” he stressed the last part of her name, taking a chance after yesterday, releasing a small sigh when she jolted slightly and her eyes darted to him. “Hi,” he continued gently, reaching out to brush his fingers along her hairline.  
  
“Sorry,” she spoke quickly, eyes darting around the room before they settled on him and he watched as she made an obvious effort to relax. “We’re studying the Religious Wars,” she explained, looking down towards her book.  
  
“I saw,” Andrew nodded, “When did you get the rosary?” he nodded towards her hand, “I seem to remember us having a conversation about how you were raised Christian though you didn’t practice anymore, and it wasn’t Catholicism…”  
  
Rosemary looked towards her hand, then slowly lowered it to the table and opened it so the rosary fell the last few inches to the tabletop. “I got them in Santa Cruz,” she began after a moment. “They reminded me of one of the sets I had _then_ ,” she continued as she flexed her hand now that it was empty. “It was an impulse buy, I learned to appreciate them later. I haven’t really picked up anything else from Catholicism, or found my way back to the church in any way really.”  
  
“So why recite the Rosary?” he asked with a frown, eyeing the beads and cross with confusion.  
  
“It’s really easy to slip between present and past,” she began slowly. “I try not to, and on a day to day basis I’m having an easier time with separating past and present, but, there are times when it’s not so easy. School has been giving me bigger issues. While we are reading about things that you and I lived through, the past likes to slip through and I have to fight to stay in the present. I learned that falling back on the Rosary helps ground me in the here and now, which doesn't fully make sense but somehow it works.”  
  
Andrew nodded slowly, “Makes sense to me,” he agreed, pushing himself up from his knees so he could pull the other chair over to sit near her. “What are you supposed to be doing about the Religious Wars?”  
  
“An essay on how the Religious Wars then are similar to religious wars today, it’s our choice if we stick with the Catholic and Protestant issues or pick a different religious war. Of course, we have to include references to the issues faced then, and so we have to do our research. And I’m reading all about the historically recorded facts, and remembering what we went through that didn’t make it into history books.”  
  
“That was strange,” he spoke, staring at the pages she had been reading, “when I started remembering and realizing how much didn’t make it into the history books. Then I remembered Simon’s words about Tomas, how history would forget. It’s crazy how little makes it into the history books, they don’t remember Bash at all.”  
  
“Catherine said history is written by the survivors. We made sure things were written in the way we wanted them remembered, and that’s exactly what happened. It’s crazy, completely _crazy_ …” she shook her head.  
  
“I saw that," he nodded, "seeing as there was no mention of my recovery, or that I died saving you.” Andrew shook his head slightly, “For half a moment I was a little annoyed, I lost my chance to die a hero, it kinda sucks being remembered as a sickly boy King. Then I figured you had your reasons, and I could probably just blame that half-blind painter,” he chuckled.  
  
“Catherine and I debated what to do, but people were talking about how Delphine had returned to the castle and you got better. People were also talking about Charles being involved in getting Delphine, so we knew we had to protect Charles’ name. Better to not let anyone knew you had truly gotten better, let history forget so Charles wouldn’t have to live under the rumors and speculation. It wasn’t hard to get one of the doctors to fake a report of your death, wasn’t hard to hide the truth with our grief,” she admitted.  
  
He reached out, brushed away the tear he was sure she hadn’t realized had escaped. “I didn’t want to leave, I’m sorry I did.”  
  
She looked at him, surprise written all over her face, before she frowned, “You don’t think I hold that against you. Do you?”  
  
“No,” he answered honestly, “but it doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt you terribly then, and I’m pretty sure it hurt you at least when you remembered it in this life. Throw in the fact we were apart when you did remember… It can’t have been easy.”  
  
“No,” she agreed, “but I survived. And it doesn’t matter now, because we’re together again.”  
  
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised,” he mused, watching as she picked up her pencil and wrote a few notes down.  
  
“Hmm?” she glanced up at him, before focusing back on her work.  
  
“Well, Catherine once asked if the pull was so strong, between the two of us. The idea of soulmates wasn’t one that had a name then, but I think _now_ it might be a term that can apply to us. How else do you explain our souls finding each other again in a second lifetime, that the pull was just _that_ strong.” he explained his thoughts as best he could.  
  
She looked up midway, smiled when he mentioned soulmates, before looking back down as she continued her notes. “It’s a lovely thought,” she began after he was done, reaching over to catch his hand with the one not busy writing, “Soulmates, I like it. And it gives a nice explanation for the craziness of us,” she glanced up at him again. “It’s definitely nice to have a reason to constantly be getting lost between what’s here and what’s then.”  
  
He frowned, squeezing her hand gently, “Somehow I think it’s not just _schoolwork_ that causes it for you, is it?”  
  
“No,” Rosemary sighed, glanced up at him a moment before focusing back on her work. “It’s more common lately with my current course, I think I learned my lesson about studying anything related to the period we lived in. It happens other times though, a certain smell can send me back to an event, or something as simple as watching you start to walk away yesterday.”  
  
“That’s why you called me Francis when you called after me, you weren’t seeing _me_ , you were seeing me walk away back _then_ ,” Andrew realized as she focused fully back on him, she gave a sort of half smile, one he didn’t like if he was honest because with the look in her eye he had a feeling she was still beating herself up. “Rosemary,” he began carefully, “I understand why you might be upset because you slipped up then, when you didn’t know what you do now. You need to understand though, that I _don’t_ care.”  
  
“What do you mean?” she asked, confusion coloring her face as she searched his.  
  
“I don’t care if you slip and call me Francis on occasion, it’s my middle name in this life so you won’t exactly get strange looks from anyone who knows that fact and it’s not hard to explain that fact so they would let it pass without question,” he began, rubbing his thumb against her hand slowly. “If you slip and call me 'Francis', because you are caught in a memory, or you just call me 'Francis' because I did something that really reminds you of how I was in the past, it’s okay. I’m not going to be upset. After all, I’ve already noticed that calling you 'Mary' seems to be the best way to snap you out of a…” he paused and frowned a moment. “Can we call it a flashback? When you’re trapped in the memories from the past?”  
  
Rosemary looked away and out the window, and he watched as she twisted her pen between her fingers for several minutes before she turned back to him, “I think it would be a good way to describe it. I hadn’t thought of it that way before. When they explained PTSD to me when I was younger, I did more research into it so I wouldn’t be blindsided by it you know? And I know that it presents in different ways, the way the flashbacks can work. Sometimes it’s just a mental flash, sometimes it’s seeing something but no sound, sometimes it’s all audio no visual, and for others, they get lost in the memory when talking about it, start reliving it. In a lot of ways, I guess what’s been happening is like having PTSD related issues, only it’s not this lifetime that’s causing my issues. It’s memories from that life that are haunting me right now.”  
  
Andrew nodded, “I’ve never had a reason to look into PTSD, or what suggested treatments were to help someone with it. Do you know anything? I have a feeling you probably don’t want to go find a therapist and explain that you’re having flashbacks to the life of Mary Stuart…”  
  
“No, they’d probably throw me in the psych ward for losing my mind,” she chuckled lightly. “No, I don’t really know any suggested ways to help, but, I can look into it, and if I really feel like I need a therapist, I’ve had therapy long enough in my life already. I know how to play the game.”  
  
“Game?” he asked with a frown.  
  
She looked over at him, squeezed his hand for reassurance, to assure him or her she wasn’t quite sure, “Therapy is very helpful, for those who are able to connect with their therapist and open up to them fully. On the other hand, if you don’t have that connection, for whatever reason, you find yourself not being helped. And it feels a bit like a game at times. After a few months for some people, definitely after a few years, you learn what the therapists are listening for. So, if you don’t want them to know exactly how bad this one aspect of your life is, because you know they’d focus on that and you don’t want to, you ramble about other things. You hide what you want to be kept hidden, reveal what you want revealed, and sometimes you can take what you want revealed and hide aspects.”  
  
“Like the fact, you’re having flashbacks, but you’d hide that they are to a life lived in the late 1500s,” he nodded slowly. “Therapy sounds complicated.”  
  
“It can be,” she agreed, “Yet it can be incredibly beneficial. I’ll see what I can find out, what ways I can find to help.”  
  
“Ways for _us_ to help,” he countered softly, “you aren’t in this alone Rosemary. I love you, and I want to help you in whatever way I can. I know it’s not the same as what happened in the past, but I couldn’t do much to help then, I _want_ to do everything I can to help now, whatever ways you’ll let me.”  
  
She smiled softly, set her pen down to reach over and place her hand on his cheek, “You did _everything_ right. I was just too messed up then to see it,” she countered gently. “We just didn’t have the time or space that was needed for me to be able to heal with you like we both would have preferred. Neither did we have the knowledge of how to fix me," she shook her head. "I can look back, see how if there had been a way to be away from Court, away from responsibilities, with time I believe we could have found our way back to each other without the heartache we ended up going through, the choices _I_ made that hurt us both…” He watched the way her eyes darkened, the sadness creeping in, but she didn’t move her hand from his cheek, where her thumb had started gently moving across his jawbone, and he didn’t dare interrupt either. “It was easier with Conde, not because I didn’t blame him like I know you thought. It was easier because there wasn’t pressure around him. You didn’t mean to pressure me, I knew that and in a lot of ways you weren’t trying to even, but there was the overwhelming pressures the Court put on us, on our relationship. Being around you reminded me of that, reminded me that every noble was waiting for us to mess up, watching me to show signs of pregnancy... hell every person in France and Scotland was waiting for me to bear our child if we’re being honest, and in truth so was half of England and the Vatican,” she huffed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head once more.  
  
“I never cared,” he interjected, “You know that right? I didn’t care what everyone wanted…"  
  
She looked back at him, smiled gently, “I know, I knew then. You made it clear _so_ many times, in so many ways. And you _definitely_ made the point that night I tried to push things because of my mother’s stupidity. I didn’t do a good job of explaining it all back then…”  
  
Andrew shook his head, “I never gave you a chance, I just put it behind us, determined to move on instead.”  
  
“You were already sick then, weren’t you?” Rosemary asked with a frown. “I wondered about it later, after you were gone and I had nothing but time to look back on things. It explained how you were able to just let things go without any hurt feelings. I know you agreed to take a chance, after the siege, and we both admitted it wasn’t going to be easy, but I had fully expected it to be harder than it was." Her eyes took on a faraway look, and he wondered how much she was really with him at the moment, "I expected you to still be angry, rightfully so. To hold me at arm’s length in some ways, while we found our way back to each other, even if we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. Yet, our honeymoon had more arguments than the months after the siege did…" It was interesting, watching the gamut of emotions that drifted across her face, as she talked through what was running through her head. "It was confusing then, but I didn’t want to question and ruin things. Then I knew you were sick and was so focused on that… Then you were well and I was just _so_ thankful, and then you were gone…” she trailed off, glancing away.  
  
“Yes,” he answered her question, not wanting her to focus on his death, watching her gaze swing back to him, questions in her eyes. “I knew when the siege happened that I was sick again. I sent for Nostradamus immediately after, it was his medicine that bought me as much time as it did,” he explained, before focusing on the rest of the obvious explanation that would come next, “And it _did_ play a part in things, to some degree. A bigger part was seeing the truth in what you had been telling me for those weeks, trying to tell me in so many ways but I was so hurt and angry I didn’t want to see until I saw what you arranged with Greer, what you did to protect all of us.” He couldn’t help looking back on what she had done, to save them all with a bit of pride; but also couldn’t help the anger he had pushed away then, not wanting to start a fight. “You were _so_ stupid, taking the chance in going to Conde. True we both knew he wouldn’t hurt you when you first went to him, he had made that clear," he admitted with a sigh. "When he realized what you had arranged though, you had _no_ idea what he would have done…”  
  
She shifted in her chair, gently disentangled her other hand from his to cup both of his cheeks as she watched him, “Oh love,” she began softly, “I know you never liked thinking about it, _never_ liked the idea that someone else loved me. He _did_ love me though, we both knew it; and as much as I hurt him, at least in that moment, I knew that he wouldn’t seek vengeance. At least not _yet_.”  
  
“You still took a great risk, _too_ great of a risk,” he argued.  
  
“One I took gladly," she countered gently, "I couldn’t risk _you_. Yes, I contemplated leaving you to return to Scotland with Conde, and it was stupid _and_ selfish. It was also because I was hearing reports that Scotland was in turmoil and needed me there. I was selfish enough to think I could take Conde with me when I couldn’t find a way to make things work between us,” she sighed and shook her head. “I knew I would hurt you, and that hurt me, but I knew you’d be alive and I was lost in my own pain enough that I wasn’t able to truly see beyond it. When I had to face a world _without_ you, I realized that I couldn’t leave you. I’m pretty sure I would have realized that anyway before I actually went through with the plan to leave, but it was like a slap in the face, seeing you sick. It was the slap I needed to snap out of my own self-pity.  
  
“And _yes_ , I helped Conde, because I felt _guilty._  I had already done this once to Bash, Bash had survived me but Conde, without help he _wouldn’t_. And I knew he had only done so many of his actions because I had encouraged him in my desperation to feel something other than the memories I couldn’t escape. So, I helped him, he was _supposed_ to be leaving France," her lips twisted in a mocking smile, "Perhaps I should have learned from Bash there too,” she shook her head again. “Apparently I _never_ learned the lessons I should have. But then, _apparently_ , Conde should have also learned from Bash...”  
  
“We both should have I suppose,” he agreed, turning his head so he could kiss her palm. “You always had room in your heart to love more than one person. It's why I didn't fear you having to wed again…”  
  
“I always loved you more,” she smiled sadly, “I _couldn't_ love again as I had loved you. Though, I never wanted to either. _No one_ could replace you.”  
  
He smiled, part of him had a bit of selfish pleasure, that though she had moved on after his death, not like she could have avoided marriage, she had never replaced him in her heart. “I'm completely distracting you from your work,” he spoke up, instead of continuing the conversation. “Why don't I go back to my book so you can work?”  
  
Rosemary nodded, lowering her hands from his face and turning back to face her book and notepad. “Andrew,” she began just as he had stepped back to the bed; he looked back, waited as she played nervously with her pen. “Would you mind I'd I shared the bed with you? I think having you near helps…” she trailed off, gave a sort of slight shrug.  
  
“Of course you can join me on the bed,” he answered quickly, watching the tension leave her spine.  
  
Andrew got himself settled again, propped up against one set of pillows while she tucked the pen behind her ear and the notepad in her book, bringing them over to sit next to him.  
  
“Thank you,” she whispered ten minutes later, as she scratched away at her notes and he was just finishing a chapter.  
  
“Anytime.”  
  
**:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Tuesday, March 22** **nd** **, 2017  
****Brighton, United Kingdom  
****7:20 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “We should probably go get dinner soon,” Andrew's voice drew Rosemary from her tablet and the report she was writing.  
  
“Let me finish this paragraph…” she glanced back over her shoulder at where he sat at the head of the bed, catching his eyes as he looked at her over his laptop.  
  
“No problem,” he responded with a smile, before going back to the game he was playing online with his Grandmother.  
  
She smiled and turned back to her work, enjoying the easy, peaceful turn their relationship had taken.  
  
She had spent part of Sunday doing her work and had happily discovered that having him near helped while she had been working on the report about the Religious Wars. Anytime she had started getting too caught up, it was like he somehow knew, and he would reach out to brush her hair back from her face, or trail his fingers along her arm absentmindedly while he read, some small gesture that brought her back to the present without fully distracting her from her work.  
  
Eventually, she had packed her work away, and they put a movie on his laptop. It had been mildly awkward at first, as they shared the bed, and it was like it had been when they first started watching movies at her place so long ago… She didn’t know what was okay and what wasn’t; if they could just revert back to the level of comfort they had made it to when their relationship effectively ended. So she had sat next to him, keeping her limbs and body to herself.  
  
Then, he had silently reached over, slipped his fingers between hers on the arm closest to him as the first act came to an end. She had glanced up at him, found him focused on the movie and smiling, and looked back at the movie fighting her own smile.  
  
By the time the credits rolled, she had been curled up into his side again, and it was like no time had passed in some ways. She waited until they had seen the list of the cast, before quietly asking if they were okay, only to have him start tickling her. After she had been able to breathe again, he had reassured her, multiple times, that he quite enjoyed having her in his arms. And it was enough...  
  
A part of her felt bad though. She knew it was confusing as hell for her, the memories of their past life often made the idea to jump into a very intimate relationship feel very easy. Yet, in this life their relationship had barely begun progressing in that area when things stopped, so now she didn't know what was okay and what wasn't. Was it ok to just pick up where they left off, with all the memories she had of so much more with Francis it didn't seem like something as harmless as cuddling should have been an issue. However, she didn't know his thoughts, the extent of his memories, and if it was confusing for her, she could only imagine how hard it might be for him.  
  
That was one of the conversations they hadn't had yet.  
  
She hasn't known how to bring it up, and he hadn't said a word, so they had progressed as they had without really talking about anything.  
  
Not that there had been as much time to talk since classes resumed on Monday. She had gone to classes, then come to his hotel after and they had tea at the Bistro where she had been amused seeing him trying the tea sandwiches provided. After tea, they had retreated to his studio so she could work on her schoolwork while he messed on his laptop, once more just sharing the bed until they went to get dinner in the evening. After dinner, she finished her work, and he insisted on riding the bus back with her to escort her home.  
  
Today had gone the same, and after tea they had returned upstairs where she had eventually ended up stretched out on her stomach, her work at the foot of the bed; listening half amused as he chatted with his Grandmother while they played cribbage online, and occasionally complained about the unfairness of the deal, that somehow his Grandmother was cheating. How someone could cheat on an online game site was beside the point, as he had pointed out with a huff when she asked.  
  
Like Sunday and Monday, he found ways to keep some contact between them and had spent the last hour either idly tracing patterns on her calf and ankle, or lightly massaging the calf, on the leg closest to him.  
  
“Okay, I'm done, I'm running from her winning streak,” Andrew announced fifteen minutes later.  
  
“You just can't handle losing to your Grandmother,” she teased, watching as he tucked his laptop away and walked around the room, stretching out muscles that had been in one position for too long.  
  
“Maybe,” he sent her a smile as he moved to get a glass of water, leaning against the counter, so he faced the bed and her, while he slowly drank it.  
  
“You know,” she began after saving her work and was turning her tablet and keyboard off, “it isn't fair.”  
  
“What's not fair?  
  
“You,” she began, rolling over to her back, looking up at him upside down, “So there are a few differences, your perpetual tan for one, but overall you look pretty identical to how you did. Which I would love to find our real portraits, not the ones they made having you look more like your father to strengthen the Valois line and hide our appearance and all that nonsense,” she couldn't help rolling her eyes. “Elizabeth never would have gotten her imposters in had the people known what you and I looked like.”  
  
“True,” Andrew agreed, “but it does mean we don't have to deal with people comparing us to how we looked then…”  
  
“Us?” she looked at him skeptically, “there is a reason this conversation started with the part about lack of fairness. You _are_ the spitting image of who you were. I don't know which rose-tinted glasses you've been using darling, but when I look in the mirror I haven't seen Mary Stuart looking back… which kinda sucks, I had _awesome_ hair,” she couldn't help mildly pouting.  
  
“True you aren't the spitting image of Mary,” he began, setting his cup down and sitting next to her, “You do have aspects though. More than I think you realize…” he continued softly as she looked up at him skeptically. “Your nose is the same, except for that small scar,” he touched the spot on the bridge of her nose close to her right eye, your eyes are identical…”  
  
“No, they aren't, my eyes were brown, now they are more greenish with the hazel I got from my mother,” she interjected.  
  
“And they used to get a hazel tint then, only in the sun though, so you wouldn't know that from staring in a mirror now would you?” Andrew countered with a knowing smirk.  
  
“Really?” she looked up at him, searching for any sign he was making it up.  
  
“Really,” he agreed, paused and sighed as he reached out to brush his fingers through her hair, “When I was in exile I tortured myself with images of what might have been,” he began softly. “The very real fear that we had not had confirmation that you _weren't_ carrying my child. One night I got drunk off my ass, pictured my worst fear come true: you married to my brother raising _our_ child. I just prayed if you _were_ with a child it took completely after you, as if people noticed the green of the eyes they'd assume, even if _I_ knew better.”  
  
“You really were afraid of that?” she looked up at him sadly. “Oh love… I knew two days after you left, and cried for hours, to be honest,” she admitted catching his hand to hold it close to her heart. “I'm sorry for putting you through that.”  
  
“Shh,” he spoke gently, the fingers of his free hand carding through her hair lightly. “You were afraid of what Nostradamus predicted, I forgave you long ago for what you did in fear and love.” She nodded, accepting his words, accepting his forgiveness. “Now then, you may not have the same waves you had then, _and_ your hair may be a shade lighter than it was, but it still has the red that shines in the sun. And I kinda like how straight it is now…” He returned to their earlier topic, easing them away from the sore points.  
  
“So I have similar features while you get to be identical, I still say it's not fair,” she stuck her tongue out at him, even if she was happy to hear he liked how she looked now. She remembered her past self as so much more than she was in this life, it was nice to know he wasn't comparing her to how she had looked. Especially since she didn't have to really choose since he looked so much like his old self, he really was Francis reborn, with a healthy glow this time around.  
  
“Maybe, but perhaps I only look as much as I did because of the quirk of being my own ancestor,” Andrew pointed out with a shrug.  
  
“True,” she agreed.  
  
_That_ had been an interesting discussion over tea the day before. She had explained how she spent her free time researching what became of Lola, Greer, Kenna, and especially Jean Philippe. Tracing Kenna had been tricky since she had stayed in Sweden, changed her name and later married a lesser noble. Lola, she knew now that she had her memories back, had died in England when she herself had just arrived in Scotland. Stéphane had failed in his attempt to get her back, and thanks to Gideon’s help had returned to France with Jean Philippe, later marrying the last time after Lola’s death. Tracking Greer was easier, she and Castleroy had started out in France, where her son was born, then they had decided to get out of France after Mary had returned to Scotland, traveling to Spain in the end where Castleroy had many friends from his years in the Spice Trades and lived their lives there...  
  
In the end, she had the easiest time with Jean Philippe though, and had traced his descendants to World War II all over the world. They had lost their lands and the Baronet during the French Revolution, but the family had survived.  
  
Andrew had asked to see the family tree she had made and she had given him her login info before she went home. When she arrived today, he had informed her of the crazy discovery he had found; having recognized some of the names he compared the tree to his own family tree and to both their amazement, Jean Philippe was Andrew’s tenth great-grandfather on his father’s mother's side. And from what he had shown her in pictures, it seemed everyone on that side of the family had blonde hair and blue eyes, the genes stayed strong through the centuries.  
  
It made her mildly curious, did she somehow have some connection to herself by blood… Only, she knew for a fact her mother had no connection, her mother’s family was mostly Eastern European, with a hint of Native American through the maternal line; entirely British through the paternal line; with a family tree carefully taken down through the centuries that traced back straight to the time of William the Conqueror. Her father’s side was a complete unknown though, so she was left in the dark, wondering if there was some link since Andrew had pointed out certain features were the same.  
  
It could be just him imagining, but considering what they had learned about his family, she supposed anything was possible.  
  
“So,” Andrew began after a moment, pulling her from her thoughts, “Food?”  
  
“Actually, I know a great Indian place along the route back to my place. What do you think?”  
  
“I think Indian sounds better than the same menu from last night,” he agreed with a nod. “Is it sit-down or take home? I noticed a lot of places on the bus route are take home…”  
  
“Actually there are a _ton_ of take home in the area, many also do delivery and I usually go to them if I want something since I rarely go out," she shrugged, "Aroma Spice is a sit-down restaurant, I mean you can take stuff home; but I figured it’s better to avoid my roommates, as they’ll be full of a million and one questions."  
  
“You don't want me to meet them, do you?” he asked with a laugh.  
  
“They’ll make my life a living hell,” she admitted, knowing that was inevitable in all honestly. Whether it happened in the next week, or after he left, her housemates were going to make her life a living hell. “It’s not that I _want_ to hide you, I just would rather not put up with the teasing...”  
  
“It’s okay Rosemary, I get it,” Andrew smiled reassuringly, “So, shall we go to Aroma Spice?”  
  
“Sounds good,” she agreed, “let me pack up my bag, so depending on the time I can just head back home after. Tomorrow is my early class, but it means I get out at noon,” she explained as she sat up.  
  
“What if I meet you somewhere for lunch tomorrow?” he asked, watching as she gathered her things.  
  
Rosemary glanced back at him, “Well, you could meet me at the school. I could always show you around a bit, and there's this cafe I love at the library….”  
  
“It's a date,” he agreed, leaning over to kiss her temple. “And maybe depending on the amount of work you have, we can go to a movie or something in the evening.”  
  
“Sounds like a plan,” she smiled before standing to go find her shoes. “So, my housemates all have plans for Thursday, it's sort of a standing tradition I get the place to myself for dinner. Do you want to come over and I'll cook?” she asked as she slipped her shoes on.  
  
“I would love to,” Andrew answered with a grin, then held out his hand to help her stand. “So, we never did Indian in Vallejo, can you handle your spice?” he quizzed with a smirk as they headed out.  
  
“I'll admit I'm a wuss and only do mild heat levels, but that includes Thai food, so I think I earn some props,” she explained with a shrug.  
  
“Oh, definitely a wuss,” he laughed as they headed out of the studio.  
  
**:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Wednesday, March 23** **rd,** **2017  
****Brighton, United Kingdom  
****12:30 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “The school looks amazing,” Andrew noted as they walked around the campus. He may have wished she was back in California, for ease of seeing her, but he could see the pull the area had, even if the classes had been giving her trouble. “I can see why you chose to come here.”  
  
“It’s beautiful,” Rosemary agreed, “I’m looking forward to being done though,” she glanced up at him and smiled.  
  
“I completely understand that feeling,” he chuckled, before looking down at her, “So, are we going to the cafe for lunch?”  
  
“Actually, I had a _different_ idea,” Rosemary grinned.  
  
“Oh?”  
  
“Mm-hmm,” she hummed. “We were talking about a movie, and one of the theaters in town is down by the Pier. And you can’t come to Brighton, and _not_ go see the Brighton Pier… At least that’s what _I’ve_ been told time and time again.”  
  
“So, we are going to Brighton Pier?” Andrew clarified with a smile, glad to see she was getting out now. He only hoped she'd maybe continue getting out more once he was gone.  
  
“Exactly, I figured we can get lunch at the Pier, everyone raves about the kiosks there having an excellent variety. Then we can do a movie if we still want, I checked online and it’s less than a twenty-minute walk between the two.”  
  
“Sounds great,” he agreed with a smile. “So, how were your classes today?”  
  
“Good,” Rosemary began as they waited for the bus, launching into a story about her History professor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy NaNoWriMo for those who might be participating. I'm horribly behind, but I got through rearranging furniture this week around half a dozen appointments lol.
> 
> Next chapter may not be till next weekend, as out of the house every day this week with another week full of appointments... ahh the joy of being a medical advocate for the family.
> 
> Hope everyone enjoys Andrew and Rosemary's adventures in Brighton, part 1.


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On to the rest of Brighton :-)
> 
> Thank you for all who are reading, I was so excited today when I saw I was over 100 hits :-)

**:-:-:-:-:-:  
****Chapter 6  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Wednesday, March 23** **rd** **, 2017  
****Brighton, United Kingdom  
****8:26 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “I am _so_ getting that the _moment_ it comes on DVD,” Rosemary announced as they walked out of the theater. **  
  
** “Did you think there was a chance you wouldn’t be, _before_ you saw it?” Andrew chuckled, watching as she practically bounced from step to step. **  
  
** “Well…” she began, ducking her head, “it _is_ Beauty and the Beast, _and_ with Emma Watson… Can you blame me?” she looked up at him through a curtain of hair. **  
  
** Andrew laughed again, catching her hand and spinning her around for the fun of it, enjoying listening to her giggles before she fell back into step with him as they walked away from the theater. **  
  
** It had been a good day, one he was very thankful for, knowing it wasn’t too much longer before he’d have to leave her, something he was trying _very_ hard to ignore right now. **  
  
** They had arrived at the waterfront that afternoon, and headed for the Pier, as she told stories about the insanity that had happened while she and her housemates were getting used to all things British when they first arrived last fall. Their first stop had been the food kiosks, where they had decided on being traditional and having the fish and chips, when in England and all. After food, they had wandered the Pier, taking a ride on the carousel and he’d snagged a picture of her leaning over the horse’s head, one hand hanging down along the side as the other rested under her head while she turned to look at him. **  
  
** He’d have thought she was going to be sick from the up and down motion, but she had just smiled at him as she denied it. He hadn’t been able to not take a picture. **  
  
** She had stuck her tongue out at him afterward but continued enjoying her strange way of riding the carousel horse until the end. Grinning he had swooped in and lifted her down before she could dismount, having had to sit up while he was swinging himself off his own horse. **  
  
** Her shriek of laughter had been worth every strange look they got. **  
  
** They hadn’t done many of the other rides, but he had talked her into the roller coaster that went over the sea itself, which was an interesting experience and one he had every intention of telling his youngest siblings about when he got home. **  
  
** They’d be completely jealous… **  
  
** After the roller coaster, they had wandered along the Pier, daring each other to the Doughnut challenge as they bought a bag of doughnuts to share. He had been unable to avoid licking his lips with all the powdered sugar, and she had won as she managed to put it off until the end of the doughnut. He didn’t know how she did it, it had made his lips itch, all the sugar on them. Rosemary had just smiled and snagged another doughnut when he asked about it. **  
  
** They had ended their time at the Pier by visiting the photoshop, having their photo taken together dressed like it was the early 1900s and they were standing on the Pier itself. It was the second time they had done an old-time photo, having had one in Sacramento where they had dressed up like it was the Wild West. When he suggested they make it a habit of doing one of these when they went somewhere that had one, she had just grinned up at him and suggested they go for the ‘20s next time. **  
  
** It was amazing at times to him, just how _much_ he loved her. **  
  
** Rosemary could be as kooky and crazy as him but in a quieter way. And she just took everything in stride; he’d had plenty of ex-girlfriends who had been unable to handle his old-fashioned theories, insisting he was trying to make them look like a weaker person, or got tired of his love of photography whether he was the one taking the picture or he was suggesting they do pictures together. **  
  
** Of course, they had all happily had him spend as much money as possible on them, which was another difference… Rosemary was always appreciative when he treated them to something, treated her, but was the _first_ to argue against him spending his money all the time. He’d taken her words to heart after she had seen what he did for their one month anniversary, especially when she had quietly chastised him the next day for how much he must have spent on _everything_ , that he shouldn’t be spending so much on her. **  
  
** If he hadn’t been watching her face, seen the complete honesty there, he’d have sworn she was just playing hard to get, having heard that same talk before only to learn much later that the girl had been after him for his money. **  
  
** And true, he knew there was the added factor, when it came to his feelings for her, the memories of a life with Mary. Some might say what they had then influenced what they had now more than was perhaps healthy, that they couldn't make a life based off of what had been. He obviously had the argument that he had loved her before he remembered his life as Francis, but it was more than that. He could see the differences in Mary and Rosemary so very clearly, just as he saw the similarities easier than she herself apparently could. **  
  
** Rosemary was this quiet, kooky and crazy girl, who was obsessed with Disney, a fact he would have been blind to after the sight of her DVD collection, which wasn't that an interesting thing to get used to being a boy who hadn't grown up without much of an appreciation for Disney. GI Joes, Transformers, Power Rangers... that was him. She was a girl who would happily spend hours playing games or reading; who had a love for peacocks and bright colors, and took a seriously insane amount of joy in watching musicals… **  
  
** Most people would probably think that Rosemary had nothing in common with Mary; after all, Disney hadn't existed centuries before, or musicals. Yet, he could look at her and see how her life as Mary had become a part of her soul, giving her the same strength, the same ability to love, the same love of learning he remembered from their childhood, the same kindness and want to care for others. **  
  
** Those things were there, an underlayer to everything she had become in this life, where she dreamed of teaching history to the next generation and wanted to live near the ocean in a quiet house with a garden with lots of flowers. Though, he couldn’t help wondering, if her love of living near the water was another throwback, remembering how Mary had loved looking out over the cliffs to the water in the distance. **  
  
** She had adored Fontainebleau, and it had been quietly admitted in the quiet of their room that her favorite thing was the cliffs and the water, watching the wild nature of the sea deceptively hidden often beneath the calm quiet waves. **  
  
** Part of him often wondered if she saw him like he saw her, saw the things that must have followed him from Francis to Andrew as Mary had led to Rosemary. **  
  
** He couldn’t quite see it in himself. **  
  
** Oh, he knew that he still loved the ocean, still loved working with his hands though he didn’t go around making blades anymore, or boats. He had his eyes on bigger things, bridges and buildings, things that could help many people, not just a few. His photography was more personal, something that was just for him, and something that he couldn’t see much of a connection to his first life. Francis had never been artistic, that had been Elizabeth, and Charles had shown some signs of talent at drawing before he went to Spain. **  
  
** It did raise the need for them to discuss a few things, like how easily they slipped between referring to this life and their past life, but he had put that discussion off as they enjoyed the rest of their day. **  
  
** They had left the Pier, heading to the theater discussing options to see. He’d known the moment he remembered that Beauty and the Beast had opened only the previous week, that she would probably be jumping like a schoolgirl if he suggested it. And, as it happened, they arrived just in time to get tickets and buy popcorn and drinks before it was due to start, so he had simply bought them tickets without discussing it, while she was staring at the other posters. She’d been confused as he walked back, evident by the look on her face, until he handed her the tickets and he watched the confusion melt away as one of the happiest looks he had seen all week appeared on her face. **  
  
** He still wasn’t sure if he should be jealous that a Disney movie had made her light up more than spending time with him had, but then maybe it was the combination of spending time with him, _and_ the Disney movie. **  
  
** He liked that theory. **  
  
** “How does Thai sound?” Rosemary asked, bringing him out of his own head. **  
  
** “Sounds fine, is there a place around here?” he looked down at her. **  
  
** “Sawadee isn’t too far, Tiffany raves about it.” **  
  
** “Thai it is, then,” Andrew agreed with a smile, “You realize I’m not taking it easy on you though, I quite like my green curry." **  
  
** “That’s fine, but we are still getting a yellow curry,” she pointed out, “And Pad Thai, I _can't_ pass on Pad Thai…” **  
  
** Andrew laughed, “Something tells me we are going to have leftovers…” **  
  
** “Of course, it’s Thai food, it reheats beautifully,” Rosemary sent him a knowing look. “You can take your green curry extras home, I’ll take my yellow curry, and we can split the pad thai. Oh and we have to get chicken satay, so of course, we’ll have extra leftovers anyway…” **  
  
** Andrew blinked twice, then looked down at his companion, “I know you mentioned that you like Thai food, but I hadn’t realized just how _much_ you like Thai…” **  
  
** “Yes, it’s a secret weakness," she shrugged slightly, "Sasha and I used to go to a place in Vallejo until it changed owners, then we started trying to go to our favorite place in Napa once a month, so it took an hour and a half to get there by bus, but it was completely worth it,” Rosemary paused. “especially the lunch specials…” she added before looking up at him, “Yes, I’m weird.” **  
  
** “I know,” he chuckled, “And I wouldn’t change you.” **  
  
** “Good, to know. Also, I am getting fried bananas for dessert if they have them… And I’m paying.” **  
  
** “Fried bananas are awesome,” he nodded, before processing the rest, “Wait, _what_?” **  
  
** “You heard me, my treat. You got lunch today, and yesterday, and dinner. And the day before was the same seeing as you’re so _stubborn_. Tonight is my treat, _don’t_ argue.” **  
  
** Andrew just looked at her, taking in the challenging look she was giving him, before nodding slowly, “Stubborn,” he muttered with a small smile. **  
  
** “Damn straight,” she nodded decisively. “You can get whatever dessert you like. I hope they have Thai tea…” **  
  
** He shook his head, letting her ramble as they walked, enjoying simply being with this strange woman that he happily got to call his again. **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** March 23rd, 2017 **  
  
** Dearest Mary, **  
  
** What do you mean you are in Brighton? How long have you been in Brighton? What are you even doing in England? **  
  
** Call me anytime after 7, my number hasn't changed. I expect a call by next Friday at the latest or I'm coming to Brighton this weekend and hunting you down. **  
  
** Also, I'm very glad about Andrew. **  
  
** Love,  
Rose **  
  
** P.S. Seriously? When? **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Thursday, March 24** **th** **, 2017  
****Brighton, United Kingdom  
****5:10 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “What are you making?” Andrew asked, taking in the pots on the stove and the chopping board on the counter in the small kitchen. He had arrived a few minutes earlier, and now leaned on the other side of the counter watching as Rosemary found a vase for the flowers he had brought. **  
  
** “Caesar salad and Alfredo with steak medallions, mushrooms, and tomatoes,” she answered offhandedly as she arranged the flowers. “These are beautiful Andrew,” she continued, glancing over her shoulder at him. **  
  
** “I'm glad you like them,” he smiled, “though I think they pale next to you,” he added, and couldn't help a smirk as he watched the slight pinking of her skin start along her cheekbones as she swung her head back to what she was doing. **  
  
** “You are incorrigible, you know that?” she asked as she moved to put the flowers on the table where she had already set plates, bowls, and flatware, “Then you always were.” **  
  
** “You wouldn't change me,” he pointed out as she came back. **  
  
** Rosemary paused across the counter from him, raising a hand to curl along the shape of his jaw, “No,” she agreed with a smile, “through it all, the good and bad, I never wanted to change you. And I quite like who you are now, so I wouldn't change you at all. Even if you _are_ incorrigible,” she winked before heading towards the stove to check on dinner. **  
  
** Several minutes passed in quiet companionship as he watched her move around the kitchen, humming half under her breath while she worked. “Have you noticed, we talk about our past life and current life more often like it's all one life?” he posed the question that had been floating around his brain for the past twenty-four hours. **  
  
** She stopped tearing lettuce, and looked up at him, a look of surprise on her face, “We have, haven't we?” she asked slowly. ” I guess in some ways for me, it's easier to think of it as an earlier part of life. I know it wasn't this life, but I remember it all so clearly that it's simpler to just refer to Mary’s life and memories as my life and memories." She frowned, and he could see the proverbial stormclouds gathering over her, knowing before she opened her mouth that wherever her brain was going, wasn't a good place. "Does it bother you? I can try to stop, I _know_ that you are Andrew now,” she started to speak faster, “and while you now are a lot like Francis, not just in looks, but a lot of basic personality quirks are the same, your kindness, compassion, honor. Your love and loyalty to your family, your dedication, it's not changed, so it's very easy to see Francis in you, but I know you are Andrew…” **  
  
** He had listened to her and was considering her viewpoint on things when she started up her ramble, and he knew she was going to keep going, as her fear she upset him started setting in. As she had begun listing the qualities that seemed a part of his soul as opposed to upbringing, due to the fact they had stayed the same in both lives, he slipped around the counter to join her, trying to figure out the best way to interrupt so he could get his own say, and calm her. **  
  
** It was funny, she was listing all the qualities she saw the same in him, this was one he recognized in her. **  
  
** Few people had seen Mary truly relaxed enough to show when she was scared, he had though, time and time again. And he did the same thing he did the morning after Count Vincent came when she was a rambling, scared mess because he had put his life at risk. Reaching up, he cupped her neck and lower jaw gently, threading his fingertips lightly in her hair, and pressed his lips to hers. **  
  
** He kept it short, a simple touch of his lips to hers, even if he had to remind himself to pull back twice before he did. He didn't know if she felt it, but he definitely felt something as their lips touched, maybe it was from having all the memories, maybe it was something else, but that same pull he could vaguely remember before this moment flared to life in that simple touch. **  
  
** It was like coming home. **  
  
** However, he knew as much as they both may have the memories of a life spent lost in each other's arms whenever they could find the chance, he knew she had other memories from this life. Memories he hadn't asked her to expand upon yet, but had left her afraid of scaring him away if she flipped out. The last thing he wanted was to scare her away by making her think she had upset him more if she did have a flip out. **  
  
** He knew that was a discussion they would have to have, and soon potentially, but for now, he simply pulled back from her slightly, leaving his hands in place as he gently brushed his thumbs along her jawline. **  
  
** “There has been entirely too much _thinking_ going on,” he voiced with a small smile, watching as the dazed look left her eyes to be replaced with mild annoyance. **  
  
** “You!” she huffed, smiling even as she shot him a look that spoke volumes about her annoyance and frustration, “I thought you brought up how we _aren't_ separating past and present, and you are quoting our past…” **  
  
** “Shh,” he began, moving his thumb to rest against her lips, “my turn because you started panicking and that's not what I meant to happen when I asked that.” **  
  
** “Okay,” she nodded slowly, “but let me work while you talk, or we will have cold Alfredo.” **  
  
** “Fair enough,” Andrew agreed, stepping back and letting his hands slip from her skin. He watched her turn back to the salad before he started voicing his own thoughts. “Before I saw you again, there were only a few memories I held with _real_ clarity once I remembered them that is. Those few stuck though, every detail, I figured they were some of the most important. I had dreams on an almost constant basis, repeated dreams even, and the things I had dreamed about stuck with me for a few days, but over time the details would fade so it was more like I was left with the knowledge that the event happened. Kinda like how you _know_ you were in the 1st-grade play, but don't remember much beyond looking like an overstuffed turkey…” **  
  
** “You were the turkey in the school play?” she looked up at him, amusement playing with the corners of her lips as she tried to not smile. **  
  
** “Sadly no, it was President's Day and I was an eagle, a badly made eagle,” he admitted, and she burst into laughter, to the point she was holding the counter for support as she doubled over. “I'll _tickle_ you,” he warned, arms having moved to cross his chest as he stared at her enjoying her amusement. **  
  
** “I'm sorry,” Rosemary rasped, trying to catch her breath in large gasps, “it's just, I keep picturing them putting you in a turkey costume they added a white skullcap to, and you with that same face you made the time you fell in the lake trying to get Stirling when he stole your pheasant from the hunt you just returned from.” **  
  
** “Oh _god_ , I had forgotten that! _Your_ dog was a _menace_ ,” he grumbled, remembering the wolfhound as a pup with feet too large and no coordination. And he distinctly remembered watching it practically trip over the pheasant he spent all day hunting only to have the pup steal, and then had to watch in horror as the beast and his prize tumbled into the lake. **  
  
** “That's it, _that's_ the look,” Rosemary grinned as she looked at him. “And Stirling was a sweetheart, I hated leaving him in France. Though I suppose it was for the best considering the voyage back…” she trailed off with a frown. **  
  
** “ _Menace_ !” he interjected quickly, not wanting her to start down bad memory lane, “However that just provided the next point I was going to make,” he continued quickly when he saw her look of confusion. “Since I got here since I told you and we started talking, I remember things more or easier, I'm not sure which. Like that memory about Stirling, I hadn't remembered that, then you mentioned it and I _knew_. Okay, so I don't remember every detail, but I had an image of watching the pup tumble head over heels into the lake with my bird, and I knew the rest.” **  
  
** He shrugged, paused as he considered his next words, “I remember more when we are around each other, and I understand what you mean, about knowing I'm _not_ Francis anymore, but I remember so much. I remember more and more every day, and it is easy to talk about then like it happened last year, to talk about things we did like they weren't that long ago even though it was a _lifetime_ ago. And I see it in you too," he focused back on her fully, saw the surprise in her eyes, "the similarities and differences. You are _still_ stubborn, and independent, still like finding your quiet time and still dedicate yourself _wholeheartedly_ to your work. Yet there are the differences, you are quieter, you don't voice if people irritated you, you try to hide when you're upset, more so than you _ever_ did. There are times I wonder if you think you aren't _allowed_ to be vulnerable, and I fear that has something to do with what happened in your childhood, and I hope that at least we can reach the point you let _me_ see it, if you won't let anyone else,” he paused, took careful note of her expression, made sure she wasn't panicking again. **  
  
** “So, I know while you are in many ways Mary, you are Mary who has _become_ Rosemary, because of life experiences. And I think I'm Francis who has become Andrew, because of _my_ life experiences. And we can't explain that to anyone else, well except perhaps Sasha,” he glanced at her, seeing her small nod, “but it’s nice knowing someone understands, that you understand. I don’t know if you feel the same, but it’s how I feel…" he shrugged, "I just, I noticed how often we’ve been doing it, and we hadn’t discussed it, and I thought maybe we should, so we both understand where the other is coming from.” **  
  
** “Is that part of why you don’t care if I call you Francis on occasion because you recognize that you are still Francis?” she asked softly, while she added ingredients to a bowl to make the salad. “Before you answer that, I completely get what you are saying, and I think it is the same for me too. I think you’re just better at explaining it, but then you always were better at phrasing things eloquently.” **  
  
** “You were better at inspiring speeches that brought people round to your cause,” he countered with a smile, remembering her in a plaid dress as a dozen Scotsmen scared the crap out of him when they pulled out their swords, only to amaze him as they laid them at her feet. “And _yes_ , that’s why I don’t mind you calling me Francis, because I was and am Francis, just as you were and are Mary, and I’m pretty sure that’s why you respond to Mary instead of Rosemary when you’re caught in a memory. In that moment, you haven’t heard me calling for Rosemary, it’s hearing your older name that you respond to, that pulls you back.” **  
  
** “It’s like we are still them, only we spent years apart for whatever reason, and now we are back together, explaining what happened, getting to know who we grew into while we were apart,” Rosemary voiced as she grabbed the dressing and added it to the salad, before tossing the salad to mix. “Table?” she asked, handing him the bowl. **  
  
** “It does feel that way in a lot of ways,” he agreed as he moved to the table with the bowl, “Which is the strangest thing considering I logically know I remembered nothing of this a year and a half ago, but now… it feels like I’ve always known who I was…” **  
  
** “Well, from what your mom said, you sorta did," she pointed out, "You remembered when you were younger, but then you had to put it aside to deal with this life. I had the opposite issue I didn’t remember anything and only knew Rosemary’s life until the dreams started, I never told anyone, and I never had the dreams stop. It sounds like when you were younger you just _knew_ possibly; well, at least you knew me. We don’t know what all you told your mom, so we can’t exactly verify how _much_ you remembered, but it sounds like you may have at least known in a small way from day one. You just couldn’t retain the information with everything you were learning in this life to live in the world we live in now,” she mused as she got two glasses of tea from the fridge. **  
  
** “I initially thought they were only amazing, fantastical dreams that I _wished_ were real, it was easier for me to just jump onboard this past life train because I had always wanted the dreams to be real. Of  course, that _might_ have been because I only really remembered childhood and the years in France. I think if I _had_ remembered the years in Scotland or England, I probably wouldn’t have wanted it to be real,” she added, setting the glasses down at their spots. “Sit, the alfredo will be fine while we have salad...” **  
  
** Andrew frowned, thinking over things, “I remember waking up from the dream where I remembered the day I died,” he began as they started their salad. “I remember waking up knowing exactly what my injuries felt like, and that it was like falling asleep only to wake up in my dorm. But then, my death was relatively painless, the hardest part was knowing I was leaving you. Your death though…” he trailed off, hoping she’d say she hadn’t remembered, knowing how unlikely that was. **  
  
** “Yes, well _thankfully,_ I’ve only remembered that in detail once, but I know what you mean about waking up remembering the pains. After I remembered my last day as Mary, I understood why I’d wake up on occasion through the years with a horrible migraine, but the distinct memories have faded to the knowledge of what happened in England. And thankfully, I never had the full memories when I was younger, even if I did have a migraine many days after not dreaming. Well, I _thought_ I hadn't dreamed,” she shrugged slightly. “I’m okay though, I knew the moment I started suspecting things what my end was, so remembering while no fun, wasn’t exactly unexpected.” **  
  
** “Oh love,” Andrew sighed, reaching across the table to take her hand in his, “I can’t imagine what remembering that would be like, I can’t imagine what going through that the first time must have been like, let alone to relive it in dreams.” **  
  
** She nodded, squeezed his hand, “New topic?” she asked softly, before letting go of his hand to pick up her drink and take a sip. **  
  
** “New topic,” he agreed easily, “So, I go back to London tomorrow…” **  
  
** “Okay, _not_ the topic I was imagining,” she laughed lightly. “I was thinking more a topic that _wouldn’t_ be sad,” she countered with a small frown, looking up at him a moment later with confusion in her eyes. **  
  
** “Well, actually it doesn't have to be sad, per se…” Andrew pointed out with a smile, watching the confusion deepen. “I only booked the hotel here to Friday as I wasn't sure how things would work out, and I figured if you didn't want me around, seven days would be enough time to drive both of us crazy. So I booked a hotel in London for my last two nights…” **  
  
** “Wait, you don't fly back until Sunday?” Rosemary frowned, “I just assumed you flew out late Friday night or early Saturday morning…” **  
  
** “I sorta hadn't specifically said on purpose, not wanting to think about leaving,” he admitted. **  
  
** She nodded slowly, “I get that, I don't like to think about you leaving…” **  
  
** Andrew had to smile as she ducked her head. Mary had never stayed bashful long when they lived their first life, there was something endearing in how shy Rosemary could be now, knowing he got to her because she couldn't hide the blushes, or how she'd hide behind the curtain of hair that would fall across her face if she tilted her head right. **  
  
** “I know,” he reached across the table to take her hand once more. “I hoped that this might be the outcome though, of a week in Brighton. That we would find our way back to each other…” he began, watching as she turned her head, the curtain moving so he could see all her face as she looked at him in question, but didn't voice the thoughts he could plainly see in her eyes. “I took a chance, and have reserved a room with two beds instead of just one," he continued, smiling as the space between her eyebrows furrowed. “Are you allowed to leave Brighton for the weekend? It would be tomorrow night until Sunday evening. I thought, if you wanted to, you could come back to London with me. We can spend Saturday seeing a few things in London, then spend most of Sunday together before my flight in the evening. It's a little over an hour by train from London back here, then the 25 picks up less than 10 minutes walk from the station so you getting home is easy enough…” **  
  
** “You're rambling,” Rosemary spoke with a smile as she squeezed his hand. **  
  
** “Sorry,” he answered automatically, before taking a deep breath to calm the nerves he hadn't fully realized were jumping in his stomach until she said something, “You don't have to answer right away…” **  
  
** “Yes.” **  
  
** “I understand if you need time to…” he trailed off as he processed the fact she had even spoken, then what she had actually said. “Yes?” he echoed, looking her over. **  
  
** “Yes,” she repeated, and he took in the fact she was practically vibrating in her chair, a large smile across her face. “I would _love_ to go to London with you. Yes, I can leave, I just have to notify the people in charge when and where I'll be, let them know when I'm back. So, yes…” **  
  
** Andrew couldn't help his own smile of happiness, glad to know he wasn't going to have to say goodbye to her tomorrow as he feared. Getting up, he moved around the table and pulled her out of her chair, not quite able to help himself, and he pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. “I'm glad,” he whispered against her hair, as she held him back, “honestly, I wasn't ready to say goodbye…” **  
  
** “Not goodbye,” she whispered back, “no _goodbyes_ , we are going to find a way to make this work,” Rosemary spoke pulling back slightly so her back arched over his arm wrapped around her waist, making space between their upper bodies so she could frame his face with her hands, as her eyes searched his. “We'll Skype and email, and I'll be back at end of the semester. We'll find a way because we both know what the alternative is like, and _neither_ of us can bear to live like that again.” **  
  
** “I thought you never had time for Skype or email,” he pointed out softly, thinking of Sasha and the others. **  
  
** “Well, you I can have on Skype while I'm studying if need be, and we both know it, as just existing in the same place worked just fine all week. I'm hoping it means worst case, existing across the net can suffice if that's what's needed until the weekend.” **  
  
** He nodded slowly, seeing the potential in what she suggested, “Thank God for internet then,” he agreed with a smile. **  
  
** “Exactly,” she agreed then carefully raised herself on her toes to press her lips to his for a moment. He was just starting to process what was happening when she moved away, wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight as she whispered, “Thank you. I'm glad I get to have you there the first time I really visit London.” **  
  
** Andrew turned his own head enough to kiss the side of hers, “You're more than welcome, though I admit this is a great deal of selfishness on my part too.” **  
  
** “I know,” Rosemary agreed, unwinding herself from him to step back, “we should eat though, and continue on the new topic…” she trailed off, watching him as if half waiting for something, what he wasn't exactly sure. **  
  
** “Of course, I'm looking forward to dinner, you remembered I love Alfredo didn't you?” he asked as he moved towards his own seat. **  
  
** “Maybe,” she smiled, and he noticed how she visibly relaxed while gathering the plates to go serve the main course. “It helps, I prefer Alfredo too,” she added as she worked. **  
  
** Andrew watched her as she slipped back into the ease they had before talks of death, pondering what might have made her so nervous. She was rambling about things they could possibly do in London, he noted places like Buckingham and Westminster were left off the list, not that he could blame avoiding the latter… **  
  
** “It looks delicious,” he smiled at her after she sat, having set both their plates down. **  
  
** “Thank you,” Rosemary smiled back, “Eat before it gets cold,” she ordered lightly as she picked up her own fork and a spoon to twirl the pasta against. **  
  
** He had been amused the first time he watched her use the Italian trick, one of the few things she picked up during a childhood surrounded by a large Italian family had been her simple explanation in passing. **  
  
** He blinked, slowing down his eating while his brain started putting pieces together, realizing the large Italian family must have been her stepfather's. **  
  
** They would have to talk about her past, he didn't want to push her, but he was realizing that they couldn't ignore what happened in this life. They had tried to never discuss what happened in their first, tried to simply move on, and it had failed. They had to learn from that pain, communication was key in making things truly work. **  
  
** “You were nervous earlier,” he began slowly, knowing now wasn't the time to broach her past, but he couldn't let them start hiding again. “Why?” he asked softly, glancing up at her, though he kept eating, trying to keep it relaxed. **  
  
** Rosemary paused in twirling her fork, he caught how her eyes flew to him, the hint of panic there as she silently watched him continue to take a bite. He saw her take a breath and visibly relax a smidgen before she started twirling again, and he was glad he had opted to keep eating, striving for a casual tone. **  
  
** “I wasn't sure how you'd react,” she spoke softly after a few minutes of silence. **  
  
** “React to what?” Andrew looked up at her, confused as he thought back over everything. **  
  
** She gave a sorta shrug, a nervous half smile crossing her lips as she did it, “I didn't think, I just reacted, and... I kissed you…” her voice had all but faded to a whisper, her hair falling to hide her face before she finished speaking. **  
  
** “Was that a bad thing?” he asked softly, reaching across the table to let his hand rest, palm up, where she could see it, but doing nothing else as he watched her. He saw her head move slightly as she followed the movement of his arm, watched as she tilted her head to watch him through the curtain of hair. “Did I push things too far earlier when I kissed you?” ‘Please, _please,_ let me not have screwed up,’ he silently prayed. **  
  
** “No,” she spoke quickly, shaking her head even as she denied his fear, “no, you didn't push too far,” she continued, before looking down again. “It's, it's more that it's complicated. I remember everything, of course, the ease we had with each other. Now though, it's complicated like it was after the rape, I don't know how to have that ease with you. The only difference is, then, it was because I was dealing with a fear of men in general, while now, it's a combination of the fact our relationship hadn't progressed that far before our separation and the fact while I remember everything from our first life, I haven't done anything in this life. It leaves me with this strange conflict in my own mind, what's okay, what's not, what's too far or too fast…” she trailed off with another half shrug. “I _don't_ regret you kissing me earlier, I don't really regret kissing _you_ , though I'm sure there is a chance it may sound like it. It's just all twisted up in my head and I didn't know if I upset you, or possibly confused you, _probably_ confused you. Especially as I don't even know in my own head if kissing you means I'm okay with us doing that more, or it was just a reaction, and I don't want to lead you on in thinking I'm ready for more than I might be…” **  
  
** “Rosemary,” he interjected, thankful when she stopped mid-sentence to stare at him, “you're rambling again love,” he continued softly. **  
  
** “Oh…” she ducked her head again, and he sighed softly, reaching up to touch her cheek. **  
  
** “Hey, it's okay,” Andrew began gently, “I'm not upset. The rambles help me understand your thoughts, they _always_ have. You don't watch your words when you ramble, you just let me know all your thoughts and fears. And maybe sometimes it's a lot to process, but it makes us stronger because you're letting me in, that's what matters.” He watched her nod, though she didn't look up at him yet. **  
  
** “It is complicated, _especially_ because we have the memories of the past, in the present where we are still working through the beginnings of our relationship.” He watched her tilt her head back up, listening to his words, and he hoped he didn't mess this up. “I didn't know any other way to break through your rambles earlier, and I couldn't _bear_ listening to you start to beat yourself up thinking you might have upset me, so I followed the same instinct that led to kissing you when you were so upset about my stupidity in coming back with the Count. Am I upset that you kissed me? No, a very _definite_ no,” he had to fight a smile when he saw the pink spreading across her skin at his words, glad to see she was not upset with his answer, curious about what was going through her head as she blushed lightly. **  
  
** “I _also_ get that just because I've kissed you once, and you've kissed me once, it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to become a common thing,” he continued, sending a small prayer of thanks as she looked up at him fully, her hair tilting back so he could see her eyes, see the surprise and what might have been relief there. “I told you two years ago that you would set the pace with anything physical in our relationship, that _hasn't_ changed because of the memories we have, _or_ today… I…” Andrew swallowed, knowing this might be dangerous territory, but knowing it had to be said, “I don't know what you went through in this life, and I _won't_ push for details, though I think we may need to have some conversations before too long…” **  
  
** He watched her carefully, trying to gauge her reaction, hating himself as she looked away from him and across the room, “We never talked after the rape, and while I don't want to push you, I also know one of _your_ biggest fears is upsetting me if you flip out. I _can't_ convince you, that no matter what, I will be okay if you flip out, well,” he paused, corrected himself because they had to be honest with each other. “I may be upset, but not at you for flipping out. I'll probably be upset it happened in the first place, that it happened _to_ you, and I'll be pissed at your former stepfather, as I've already been those things. However, I won't be upset with _you_ , I never was. I can't be now… make sense?” he asked softly. **  
  
** Rosemary glanced back at him, nodded her head once, and he hated himself for the tears he saw on her cheeks, the liquid still making her eyes shimmer. **  
  
** “I think we are going to have to talk, slowly and at _your_ pace because it will let me know what to be careful with. If we both have some understanding of what happened, then maybe we can avoid things that would cause flip outs, at least, that's my theory…” he trailed off, watching as she reached up to swipe at her eyes. **  
  
** She took a deep breath and reached over to place her hand on his where it had returned to the table after he had touched her cheek. “I don't remember a lot, my mind blocked most of what happened anyway. It's why they suspected me having PTSD issues down the road, the fact I have such large chunks of my childhood, both good and bad just… _gone_ ,” she shrugged before looking down. “I remember some things though, and I get what you are saying. It makes sense, I've just… I've never told _anyone_ , not since the police and advocate, the D.A. and Judge. I got lucky, the Judge took my statement behind closed doors, the records were sealed, even my _mother_ doesn't know anything beyond the D.A. and police confirming that they had enough to put him away. I think it's part of why we are so distant now, I don't confide in her, she can't handle that…” she glanced away again, shook her head, then focused back on him. “Not today, but soon. I don't know if it's something I'll find easier apart, or in the end, it will need us together again, but I'll work on letting you in. You're _right_ , if you know, at least what I remember, maybe together we can work through anything easier.” **  
  
** He nodded, squeezed her hand with a smile, “Maybe we'll get lucky, maybe we _won't_ have any flip outs too,” he pointed out softly. “I know it's a possibility, I'm not denying it, but maybe we'll get lucky.” **  
  
** “It's a nice hope,” she agreed softly. “Pasta got cold,” she looked down at her plate, then back up at him with a sheepish smile. **  
  
** “So we reheat it,” Andrew shrugged. “And we'll make London plans…” **  
  
** “Sounds great,” Rosemary smiled brightly, and he gave himself a small pat on the back for thinking to offer the conversation out. Rising, he carried his plate to the stove, watching as she set her plate down then took his to put the pasta back in the pan and heat it up over low heat, moving it constantly. **  
  
** He listened as she started chatting about options again, while a small part of his brain contemplated the question that had been forming in his head. How much of her worry was honest possibilities, and how much of it was that she had worked up this fear of losing it because they warned her she could and made her paranoid… an _understandable_ paranoia true, but one just the same. **  
  
** He couldn't help worrying that her paranoia over flipping out wasn't the greater of the two evils, setting up a self-fulfilling prophecy. **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Saturday, March 26** **th** **, 2017  
****London, United Kingdom  
****3:25 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “What do you think?” she asked, stepping out of the changing area and spinning around so the skirt could flare out. **  
  
** Andrew smiled, “I think you look beautiful,” he answered, “Are you getting it?” **  
  
** Rosemary glanced down at the dress she wore, then looked back up at him, “I think I am,” she nodded decisively, “Let me change back then I'll be out.” **  
  
** “I'll be in sight, might glance at that record booth over there,” he nodded to the tent a couple down. **  
  
** “Okay, have fun,” she smiled, then stepped back in to change back into her jeans and sweater. She slipped her shoes back on and stepped out to find the person running this particular tent so she could buy the Indian inspired dress she had found. **  
  
** They had arrived in London early Friday evening, having left Brighton shortly after her last class of the day. Andrew had met her at the college, and after a quick stop at her place to grab her small suitcase, they were on their way to the train station. They had played cards on the train, simply enjoyed their quiet time together. The hotel wasn't far from the train station in London, so they had walked, it was the same one Andrew had stayed in the day he flew in, so he knew the way. **  
  
** It was a lovely place, with a chandelier in the lobby. They were sharing a room with separate twin beds this time, thankfully with an en-suite bathroom instead of sharing with the rest of the floor. **  
  
** They had gone out for dinner, and walked around near the hotel afterward, before returning to watch a movie for the evening. It was a little crazy as they tried to balance getting ready for the evening, sharing one bathroom proved complicated as they had both tried to let the other go first. In the end, she had changed first, letting him have the restroom while she spent the time fighting her nerves by reworking her suitcase. **  
  
** Andrew had stepped out, taken one look at her and silently crossed the room to wrap his arms around her. She couldn't explain how being with him was as calming as it was, but she had relaxed within minutes. **  
  
** It was frustrating as hell. She had thought she had gotten past the issues she had in high school. The anxieties over trying to please everyone, the fears of being noticed, that people would notice when she was upset. Ever since she remembered her life as Mary, as she started having issues staying in the present, she had been forced to confront the fact she _wasn't_ better. It had been a slow increase, a small freak out here and there, in the beginning, becoming more frequent over the last two years. She had tried to deny it but had to face what was happening once she got to England, and she found her anxiety attacks becoming more frequent as she got lost in the past more and more. **  
  
** And yet, he could calm her. **  
  
** With something as simple as a hug, she could start breathing again, figuratively, as she felt herself relaxing in his embrace. **  
  
** It was one of those conversations she was going to have to have with him, as well as Sasha, Kayla, and Stephanie, and her cousin, sooner rather than later. And she was realizing, like it or not, she would have to return to therapy, but she would wait till she got home, give her time to work out how to reveal her issues without revealing the full truth. **  
  
** Andrew had stepped back after a few minutes of silently standing and hugging each other, and simply asked what movie she wanted to watch. She had been more grateful than he probably had any inkling of, as they simply moved on from the moment like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. They had sat up together on one bed, watching The Princess Bride, and then Labyrinth, which she had fallen asleep in the middle of. **  
  
** Morning brought the realization he had tucked her in and taken the other bed. **  
  
** After breakfast they had started wandering the town, ending up at the Camden Market after lunch where she had found her dress and he was now happily hunting through old records. **  
  
** They had avoided the more classic tourist places, and thankfully he hadn't even asked why she wanted to avoid them. She wasn't sure it would make any sense, the need to _not_ see Catherine's pearls in the Tower of London, or visit Westminster where her Elizabeth had been buried, and James later had her body moved to so that the two of them were interned together for all eternity. Poetic for two women who hadn't been able to figure out a way to get along while alive. **  
  
** Instead, they had visited Piccadilly and Hyde Park, stopping dozens of places just to get pictures together simply because they could. **  
  
** Once her dress was paid for, she made her way over to Andrew, peeking around him to see what he was looking at. “Find anything you like?” she asked as he slipped his arm around her waist without looking to see who it was. “How'd you know it was me? You started moving your arm before I spoke?” she quizzed lightly. **  
  
** “You smell like vanilla, and something uniquely you. That, and I know the sound of your walk, it hasn't changed,” he answered, still focused on the albums. He paused his flipping to pull one out, then turned to kiss her temple gently. “I'm spoiling my father and mother,” he grinned before looking back to set the album down on a small stack he had already collected. **  
  
** “Ahh,” she nodded, trying to hide how ridiculously pleased his answer had left her. “Well, I'm going to wander a few other stalls, I'll be in sight. Have fun.” **  
  
** “Mm-hmm,” Andrew nodded absentmindedly as he searched, she paused a moment, contemplated the thought in her head, before she mentally said screw it and leaned up to kiss his cheek before she slipped away to continue browsing. **  
  
** Rosemary was happily looking through a collection of necklaces when he finally rejoined her. His head appeared on her shoulder as he started to talk, and she turned her head slightly to look at him and smile. “Having fun?” **  
  
** “Very. Find lots of surprises for your parents?” she quizzed lightly. **  
  
** “Yes, my dad is going to flip,” Andrew smirked as he held up his bag. **  
  
** “Good,” she smiled back, before turning back to the necklaces. **  
  
** “Hey Rosemary, you and Rachel have similar hand size…” Andrew began a few minutes later, “What ring size do you wear?” **  
  
** “Huh?” she looked up from an emerald pendant, “What?” she asked, not entirely sure she heard him correctly. **  
  
** “I can't quite remember my sister's ring size, I think I've got hers and my mom's mixed up. You two have a similar hand size…” **  
  
** “Oh,” she glanced over to see him looking at a ring with a red stone, “That's a garnet, not a ruby, and I wear an eight.” **  
  
** “I know, she prefers garnets to rubies, odd Leo that she is. Thanks, so mom must be the six,” he trailed off. **  
  
** Rosemary glanced back at him, seeing he was back to his hunt of rings, and shook her head, returning to her own search. In the end, she took the emerald necklace to give Stephanie and found a pair of amethyst earrings Sasha would adore while he bought rings for his sister and mother and a necklace for his youngest sister. **  
  
** They walked hand in hand through the Market, stopping occasionally to glance at things. She found a scarf Kyla would love, finishing out her apology slash mandatory traveling gifts, and broke and got a henna flower on the underside of her left wrist before they escaped the endless shopping of the large Market and headed back towards the hotel to get ready for dinner. **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Sunday, March 27** **th** **, 2017  
****London, United Kingdom  
****10:50 a.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “I'll send you a Skype message, let you know I made it back safe and sound,” Rosemary promised as they stood near the security he needed to be going through. **  
  
** “Okay,” Andrew agreed with a small smile, reaching out to trail his fingers along her cheek, “I'll check things on my layovers. And I'll let you know I'm home too.” **  
  
** “Good,” she smiled brightly before it faded away. “Be safe,” she added softly, reaching up to cup his cheek. **  
  
** “Of course, you too,” he countered quietly. He stared intently at her a moment, then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “I’ll see you in a few months,” he barely whispered into her ear, a silent promise just for the two of them. **  
  
** “I love you,” she whispered back, turning to kiss his cheek before stepping back. “You need to go,” she smiled gently, looking over his shoulder towards the line. **  
  
** “I know,” Andrew sighed, reaching up to cup her cheek, his hand slipping to the familiar placement along her neck, so he could pull her towards him as he placed a kiss on her forehead, replacing his lips with his own forehead. “I love you.” **  
  
** Rosemary couldn’t help the smile as his breath warmed her face, relishing the truth in his quiet words, the closest they’d allow themselves to a goodbye. She stood there, quietly drinking in his warmth, his aura, the scent that was uniquely him; writing it all to memory until she could see him again. **  
  
** After a few quiet moments, he slowly stepped back, letting his hand trail across her skin, his eyes not leaving her as he pulled himself away then turned to head to security without a word. She watched him as he moved through security, catching his eye and smiling whenever he would look back at her, waving when he stopped just past security to raise his hand. Only when he was completely out of sight did she turn and make her way out of the airport to head to the train station so she could go home. **  
  
** It was quieter on the train home, but she passed her time getting postcards from London ready to be sent to Sasha, Kyla, Stephanie, and her mother; and writing a letter to Sasha, explaining everything that had happened, letting her friend know how grateful she was for her meddling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got in a day early! Though I make no promises until Sunday the 18th for the next chapter. There isn't a day in the coming week that is appointment free, and it's time to prep for Thanksgiving so I probably won't have much free time until the weekend at the earliest...
> 
> So, we are officially a little more than halfway through the story. Well, this part of Andrew and Rosemary's story. There is a sequel on the horizon and I've even got the starts of a third part, so there will be more to come :)
> 
> Hope everyone has a good week!


	8. Chapter 7

**:-:-:-:-:-:  
****Chapter 7  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Sunday, April 3** **rd** **, 2017  
****Brighton, United Kingdom  
****10:08 a.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “Rosemary, you have company,” Tiffany called through her closed door. **  
  
** “Expecting someone?” Andrew asked from the screen in front of her. **  
  
** “No,” she admitted, looking between him and her door. **  
  
** “Go see who it is, I'll hang out. If you need to go after you know, then we'll say goodbyes,” he prompted with a smile. **  
  
** “Especially since you should get sleep,” she countered with a smile. “Be back,” she added before rising and heading out of her room and downstairs. **  
  
** “There's the prodigal cousin,” a soft voice announced as she opened the front door. **  
  
** Rosemary blinked twice as she took in the fiery red hair, the green eyes staring at her pointedly, the hand on one hip, “Rosie?” she asked, glancing at the tall man next to what she was sure was her cousin. “Aren't you shorter than me?” she looked back, noting they were eye level. **  
  
** “This she notices,” Rose laughed. “I demand a hug,” she announced a moment before Rosemary found herself surrounded by the other Douglas woman, and automatically raised her arms to hug Rose back. **  
  
** “Aren't you in Derbyshire?” she asked as she stepped back, “Didn't I talk to you on the phone Friday and you were there?” **  
  
** “I made Richard drive me down,” Rose announced, “Speaking of, Mary this is my Richard, darling, this is my dear Rosemary.” **  
  
** “A pleasure to meet you, Rosemary,” Richard smiled and offered his hand. **  
  
** “It's nice to meet you, too,” she smiled up at him. **  
  
** “So, we are kidnapping you today, go get your handbag and an overcoat,” Rose announced. **  
  
** “I don't get a choice in this do I?” she glanced between the two. **  
  
** “Afraid not,” Richard chuckled. “I'd just start expecting these little visits once a month while you are still here.” **  
  
** “Right,” Rosemary nodded slowly. “Let me go tell Andrew and say goodbye, and I'll get my things…” **  
  
** “Andrew is here?” If her cousin had ears like a fox Rosemary was sure they would have twitched the way Rose reacted to hearing Andrew's name. **  
  
** “Not exactly, he’s on Skype…” she explained, “So I’ll just go and let him know I have to go and maybe then he’ll get some sleep…” **  
  
** “Well then, let’s go,” Rose announced, linking her arm with Rosemary’s. **  
  
** “Let’s?” she blinked at her cousin before looking at her cousin’s fiance **  
  
** “Rose was near to bursting wanting to come down here when she first got your note, while he was here,” Richard offered, “I’m fairly sure you won’t get up those stairs without taking her with you so she can meet him shall we say…” **  
  
** Rosemary looked over at her cousin and shook her head, “Are you always like this?” **  
  
** “After twenty years of writing each other, you’re _surprised_?” Rose challenged lightly, “Accept it and move on Mary, we have places to go and you have a sweetheart to say goodnight to.” **  
  
** She just shook her head once more, and made her way upstairs to her room, Rose in tow. Thankfully Richard stayed downstairs to wait for them. “It would seem my cousin decided to come visit,” she announced as she entered the room. **  
  
** “I can see that,” Andrew chuckled. **  
  
** “So you’re the famous Andrew,” Rose crossed over to the tablet quickly. “You and I need to talk. Later, of course, I’m taking my dear Mary out for the day so we can make plans for Disneyland Paris.” **  
  
** Andrew blinked, glanced at her over Rose’s shoulder, and she knew she’d have to answer whatever question was floating in his mind later, “Rosie, let the poor man go get some sleep, it’s after two in the morning for him.” **  
  
** “Fair’s fair,” Rose sighed, “Night Andrew darling, I promise I’ll return her in one piece so you can talk this afternoon, well evening for her.” **  
  
** “Sounds like a plan,” Andrew nodded, “Have fun.” **  
  
** “We will,” Rose grinned before spinning on her heel and bouncing towards the door, “Five minutes Mary, then I’m coming and dragging you out, handbag and overcoat or not.” **  
  
** Rosemary shook her head again, watching Rose disappear before turning to the computer, “Hi,” she smiled. **  
  
** “Hi,” he echoed with a smirk, “Mary?” he raised one eyebrow slowly. **  
  
** “Well, I told you no one got to call me Rose because of Rosie. She decided when we were five that if she was going to be Rose instead of Rose Lynn, then I would be Mary instead of Rosemary.” **  
  
** “Well, I guess if I just start calling you Mary on occasion, I can blame it on your nickname since you’re cousin gave it to me,” he chuckled lightly. “Have fun sweetheart, I’ll talk to you later.” **  
  
** “Talk to you later Andrew,” she agreed with a smile, “Love you.” **  
  
** “Love you too,” he echoed before she closed skype and started turning her computer off. Quickly grabbing her purse and a coat, she made her way downstairs, half afraid of what Tiffany and the others might have done with Rose and Richard. Thankfully, none of her roommates were in sight, so she slipped out of the house with her cousin and her future husband without incident. **  
  
** “So, where are we going?” she asked as they walked to the small car sitting at the end of their drive. **  
  
** “Lunch, and plotting, both for Disneyland and for how we are going to get you and Dad together before you have to head back to America. We need to get you on Dad’s good side so you have someone besides me on your side when it comes to facing Grandmam and Pops. Especially as Granny is coming back from Australia in November to stay with Dad.” **  
  
** “I thought she seemed pretty set to stay in Australia for the rest of her life,” Rosemary looked over at her cousin in surprise. **  
  
** “We all did, but Granny likes to prove us all wrong. Though I suppose when you are ninety-two you can do whatever you want,” Rose shrugged as they got into the car. “So, you leave for France when?” **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Saturday, April 9** **th** **, 2017  
****Paris, France  
****1:47 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** Just shy of two weeks had passed since Rosemary watched Andrew leave to return to California. **  
  
** They had talked every day by email and spent time when they could on Skype. The eight hour time difference definitely made things problematic, his late days of classes often meant it was already close to midnight for her by the time he was available, so they didn’t get a lot of time together that way. Instead, they communicated mostly with email on a daily basis and would spend time together on Skype on the weekend. **  
  
** Her own Spring Break had started officially yesterday, but this weekend they weren’t sure how much time they’d get on Skype as she was on her way to the first of the two trips she had planned for Spring Break before Andrew had shown up. Her entire house had signed up for the weekend trip from Brighton to Paris, and went together to join the other students going on the trip late Friday night. The group had left Brighton at 9:30 via ferry to Calais, then taken a bus to Paris, arriving mid-morning and going straight to Notre Dame. **  
  
** She had been glad she brought her rosary, using it to keep her grounded in the present throughout the tour. As everyone listened to the guide ramble about the history of the Cathedral, she hadn’t been able to avoid remembering the times she had been here before, the happier memory being her grand wedding for the people to see. **  
  
** She had tried to focus more on that particular memory. **  
  
** It had been a larger affair than the wedding at Fontainebleau, though they’d worn the same wedding clothes. Catherine had voiced at the second ceremony how wearing white may not have been the wisest decision. She, of course, hadn’t agreed. She never thought white should only be worn in mourning, though perhaps she had been mourning the time she and Francis had lost since what should have been their wedding date, had Nostradamus not seen his prophecy that sent her running from the man she loved to protect him. **  
  
** She had rarely worn white again after she lost Francis. She thought it ironic that history remembered her wearing white for so long, when in truth she had worn it the day she saved Catherine, then no more after that. Francis had loved seeing her in white, she had loved wearing white, enjoying both how it played up to her coloring and the light in his eyes whenever she wore the color. It had been something she had never wanted to see in another man’s eyes after she lost him. **  
  
** When she started remembering Francis’ funeral, she had slipped outside to wait for the others, claiming she wanted to get a better look at the architecture. In truth, she simply didn’t want to relive the trauma of her husband’s funeral a third time, the second time as her memories returned was enough for this lifetime. **  
  
** They had left Notre Dame, being given the rest of the day to explore the area and were supposed to meet up to check-in at the hotel that evening. They had suggested visiting the Louvre, having lunch in its basement cafeteria, then perhaps walking along the Avenue Des Champs-Élysées and to visit the Eiffel Tower. She knew most of the group would be doing that, but she had no desire to go to the Louvre, even if seeing its many artworks might be interesting. She could still remember the plans they had to dance under the stars when the Louvre was a palace and had no desire to visit the place; as much as everyone would probably declare her insane for not visiting the Louvre when she had a chance. **  
  
** Instead, she made her way to the required bus stop for a trip across Paris, arriving at the Basilica of St. Denis about an hour after the group had split up. She quietly paid the fee to enter and made her way to the crypt. She hadn't needed to look at how it was rebuilt after the Revolution, she remembered it in her time and wanted to keep it that way. **  
  
** She had taken in the familiar effigies from her time, as she quietly walked through the building towards the three memorials she had come to see, approaching the figures of Henry and Catherine slowly. **  
  
** She waited for the room to empty of other visitors, stealing what time she could alone, staring at the figures Catherine had made for Henry and later herself. **  
  
** “It’s odd, talking to these when I know your remains are with your ancestors, other predecessors, and the Bourbons; but you were once here and it feels right,” she began in a soft voice. “You were right Catherine, about _so_ many things. I know you forgave me, for the prophecy coming true, I remember you telling me that after he died. I'm sorry though, that the line died because of me. I _can't_ regret loving him, but I _do_ regret how things fell apart after. Your sons never ruled half of Europe Henry, I wasn't able to give them that legacy,” she focused on Henry’s face and shook her head lightly. “I hope you _both_ found peace in death, and if you and the others were blessed like we were, that you found happiness in a new life, too.” **  
  
** A noise drew her gaze, and she fell quiet as more people entered to tour the crypt. She wandered away, looking like she was interested in the others as people existed with her, quickly making her way back to the side of Catherine's one-time tomb as soon as it was empty. **  
  
** “I want you to know,” she promised the spirit of her former mother-in-law, “I _won't_ waste this chance. I'll do everything in my power to make sure he's happy and loved in this life. What I _should_ have done then… You'd be _so_ proud of him, all the good of Francis is there, and he is happy, without the burden of power.” She wished she could have left a flower, or something, but didn't have any and figured that would get her in too much trouble anyway. **  
  
** Quietly, she walked over to the monument that had been made for Francis, the column was beautiful with its ivy leaves or flames, she wasn’t quite sure what they were, and cherubs at the base. She was glad Catherine hadn't gone through with an effigy for Francis, knowing they would have had to make it look like the public portraits and not what he had truly looked like. A part of her wondered if that was why Catherine hadn't, unable to bear her son's false face being what she saw if she came to visit him. **  
  
** She stared up at it for several minutes, wishing she had been able to have something as simple, or that she could have been buried with him for all eternity as she had hoped. “Thank you,” she whispered, glancing towards the ceiling above Francis’ column, “whoever it was that let us live again, find each other again, _thank you_.” **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****To: Andrew (a.f.johnson@...)  
****From: Rosemary (thyme.and.sage@...)  
****4/9/17 23:18  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** Hi love, **  
  
** So we arrived safe and sound in Paris today. **  
  
** We had breakfast on the road, then did a tour of Notre Dame. I spent some time there but ducked out before it was over, it was too much you know? **  
  
** I choose to skip the Louvre in the end, instead, I went to St. Denis. I know, it's probably odd that I would go there yet refused to visit Westminster… I had to visit Catherine though, not the plaques where everyone is gathered together thanks to the Revolution, but her original tomb. I just had to talk to her, as strange as I know it sounds, but I feel better for it. **  
  
** I didn't take any pictures, it just didn't feel right, so if you ever want to see what your column looks like or visit, I'll gladly go with if you want… **  
  
** I do have some pics attached to this. I wandered Champs-Elysees and visited the Eiffel Tower after my side trip, met back up with Tiffany and the others so getting pictures was easier once we were all together. **  
  
** Visiting Montmartre and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart this evening was easier. No memories there, and it was pretty neat seeing the bohemian sector that arose in Paris. The Eiffel Tower light show, that was beautiful, I think that was my personal favorite of the night's tour. **  
  
** How are classes going? Did you do well on your test that you were worried about? And how did Jimmy like his birthday party you guys were planning? **  
  
** I'm going to head to bed, we want to be there when the parks open, so we are planning on meeting for breakfast early. I'm looking at getting up at six, let me know if you are home and want to try to Skype before you head to bed, since it will be 9 tonight for you. Of course, if you guys are still out celebrating Jimmy's birthday I get that too. **  
  
** Talk to you later. **  
  
** Love,  
Me **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Sunday, April 10** **th** **, 2017  
****Marne-la-Vallée, France  
****4:38 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “Mary!” **  
  
** Looking up as she heard her nickname, Rosemary smiled at Rose as she dodged kids racing after their parents to make her way over, handing off the popcorn container to Rosemary as she got close. **  
  
** “Next time, _you_ get the food,” Rose announced as she waited for Rosemary to stand so they could share the space she had occupied as she sat. “How much longer until the parade?” **  
  
** “About twenty minutes until it's supposed to start, online they said it would be about ten minutes before it reached here, so…”  
**  
** “Then we’re going to Phantom Manor right?” Rose grinned. **  
  
** “Yup, _and_ I'll even translate the tombstones for you,” she smiled at her cousin. **  
  
** “Like I need the help. Unlike your housemates who abandoned us, _I_ know French,” Rose smirked before taking some of the popcorn to munch on. **  
  
** She shook her head, munching on a few pieces of popcorn herself. It was another one of those quirks of remembering her first life, she had known so many languages as Mary and she retained some of that knowledge now. She had taken French in high school, and was by no means fluent then, but after she got her full memory back, she found it easier and had taken an online course to refresh. The refresh had led to the realization that it all came back the more she read and spoke the language, so now she just claimed she had studied on her own after high school to explain how well she knew the language. She had learned the hard way, trying to claim two years in high school had gotten a number of strange looks while in Santa Cruz, so lesson learned, tell a white lie.  
  
Thankfully, she hadn’t needed to make up too much of a story with her cousin. Rose hadn't had much of a concept of how much was and wasn't taught in high school French classes. **  
  
** She could read the other languages she had known, but sometimes had a word that tangled her up, so she hadn't bothered trying to speak them. It was nice having French, and incredibly helpful as she got to enjoy the Disney park in France today. Today had been nothing but fun, no memories to tangle her up since obviously Disneyland Paris didn't exist 400 years ago. And, it was Disney… how could she not have fun? **  
  
** She and Andrew had managed to steal twenty minutes on Skype to talk that morning, and while he had voiced being glad to hear she was enjoying her Spring Break, he hadn't commented more, even though she had seen the concern in his eyes and face. Instead, he had rambled about the party he and the guys had thrown for the youngest in the group. **  
  
** After they went their separate ways, she had breakfast with the others and they were off to Disneyland where Rose was waiting as promised just inside the Park with a Minnie Mouse headband for her that had feathers and all sorts of pretty things. Rose’s was black with lace and had a little top hat. Together with her housemates, they had tracked down every photo opportunity they could find that morning, taking time out as a group for a few rides along the way. Most of her housemates had wandered off after lunch to do their own thing with plans to meet up to watch the night shows together. So, together they had traveled through the park, getting plenty of pictures as they went to see the dragon, ride Pirates, and find a place to see the parade. **  
  
** “Cast members,” Rose leaned over and spoke, pulling Rosemary's attention back to the street in front of them. **  
  
** “I _love_ a Disney parade,” she grinned at her cousin. **  
  
** “That makes us two of kind. Your daft flatmates have no clue what they're missing trying to use parade time for rides.” **  
  
** “Not a clue,” she agreed with a smile. **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****To: Andrew (a.f.johnson@...)  
****From: Rosemary (thyme.and.sage@...)  
****4/16/17 20:56  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** Hi love, **  
  
** So I made it to Edinburgh safe and sound this morning. **  
  
** It's strange being back here, it's like visiting France, there are so many things different, and yet there are things here and there that are the same. **  
  
** I just wandered the city a bit, after getting checked in at the hotel until closer to the reception. We have a varied group, there are a few other exchange students, but mostly it's older couples and one family of five. **  
  
** How are things there? I heard from Rachel that she is already plotting your graduation party with your mom… Something tells me you should be afraid… **  
  
** I would love to write more, but just realized I had dozed off staring at my tablet, so I'm going to head to bed. **  
  
** Have a good night, love. **  
  
** Love,  
Me **  
  
****:** **-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****To: Andrew (a.f.johnson@...)  
****From: Rosemary (thyme.and.sage@...)  
****4/17/17 20:15  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** Hi love, **  
  
** I'm sure that your mother and sister won't get too crazy with the party, just remember to have fun. And I know, I wish I could be there too, but I don't know yet when I'm going to be declared free I'm afraid. **  
  
** We went to Edinburgh Castle today and had a tour of the city. It was interesting seeing the room Rizzio died in again, I still feel bad for the poor man who did nothing more than be a friend. I should have known better though, Bash suffered horribly for being my friend, and I rarely saw him again after he joined the druids. Lola lost her life for being my friend, Aylee too. Greer and Kenna got lucky, but only after having to give up their families, change their identity. **  
  
** We went down the Royal Mile, and I remembered meeting my people for the first time. It was so much easier in France, even with the Religious Wars and Narcisse and your mother. I was so unprepared for Scotland, I did so many things wrong. **  
  
** I know I can't change the past, but I can't help wishing I had been better prepared, you know? **  
  
** Being back at Holyroodhouse again was interesting, not just because of remembering Rizzio. They have a few of my things there on display, jewelry mostly, the rosary I used there since I rarely let anyone see the ones I had had in France, keeping those close always. They had my pompadour necklace too, I kinda wish they made things like that still you know? **  
  
** New town is beautiful, and seeing where Parliament is was nice. A part of me looks at things and wishes they had voted to rule themselves when they had a chance, for Scotland to be her own ruler again. Though, at least she has Parliament to take care of her. **  
  
** I hope everything's going well there, I’m going to head to bed. **  
  
** Love,  
Me **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****To: Andrew (a.f.johnson@...)  
****From: Rosemary (thyme.and.sage@...)  
****4/19/17 19:57  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** Hi Love, **  
  
** We left Edinburgh yesterday and traveled to St Andrews and across the Tay at Dundee to Pitlochary. The university is beautiful, and traveling through the Highlands just helped remind me of what I loved most about Scotland when I did come back. It was so beautiful and wild, and that's still there, wrapped in the modern world. **  
  
** I voted not to tour Blair Castle, exploring the village and spending some time on the river bank. We are going to visit so many castles, it was nice to just enjoy the quiet of the village and riverside. **  
  
** Sorry I didn't write the last few nights, lack of internet. Yea for net here in Glasgow. **  
  
** After we left Pitlochary, we traveled through Inverness, and along the banks of the famous Loch Ness. **  
  
** No, I did not see a creature in the Loch. **  
  
** We saw Eilean Donan Castle before crossing the bridge to the Isle of Skye. You would love Skye, Bash ended up going there to live after I went to England from what I heard later, and if the energy is the same now as it was then, I can see him being happy there. We visited the Clan Donald Centre and the Museum of the Isles, where plenty of the group spent their time tracing their genealogy. I opted to explore the beautiful gardens, and admittedly took lots of pictures. **  
  
** We took the ferry to Mallaig and continued through the lochs and glens to our hotel for the night. Then yesterday we continued through the Highlands, with a stop at the Commando Memorial near Fort William. The view of Ben Nevis was picturesque, and all they promised. I'm hoping my limited camera skills do it justice. **  
  
** Then, we moved south through Glen Coe, and the guide rambled on about when the Campbells massacred the MacDonalds. I know it's history, but it was horrible to hear about. Of course, I suppose I have a different reason for caring so much than others might… **  
  
** We traveled by Loch Lomond on our way to Glasgow, and the tour guide led everyone in a lively rendition of the song. It was hilarious watching people try to match the brogue in attempts to pronounce things right. **  
  
** I hope everything is good there, how were classes yesterday and today? I hope they were easy and all went well. **  
  
** I'm going to head to bed, busy day here in Glasgow tomorrow. We have orientation, then I'm on the excursion to Stirling. **  
  
** Have a good night, my love.  
Me **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****To: Andrew (a.f.johnson@...)  
****From: Rosemary (thyme.and.sage@...)  
****4/21/17 20:31  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:** **  
  
** Hi Love, **  
  
** Glasgow is amazing. George Square is wonderful and I took far too many pictures of it, River Clyde, and St. Mungo’s Cathedral. **  
  
** I used my free time to get lunch at this little pub, no I still won't eat Haggis, and do some shopping. **  
  
** Stirling was easier to visit, I have no real memories of it. It was beautiful though, and I was able to feel like a real tourist at Stirling, unlike Holyroodhouse and Edinburgh. **  
  
** Afterward, we traveled to Trossachs National Park, and got to see how they make whiskey at Glengoyne, I chose not to sample the 'wee dram’, letting the father of three have mine. **  
  
** The Farewell Dinner at a working hill farm on the banks of Loch Ard was wonderful, it was so pretty, and the food simple and delicious. I have to try to get some of these recipes to make back home **  
  
** We have breakfast together tomorrow, then I've got a couple hours before I have to be at the airport so I'm going to see if I can find a cookbook, maybe get a few more gifts before I head to the airport. I'll email when I get back home, maybe we can Skype if I can stay awake, or if I pass out early, I'll set an alarm so I can wake up for our usual Friday night Skype. **  
  
** Love you.  
Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope those who might be celebrating have a happy Thanksgiving this week.
> 
> See you guys next weekend, as I've got a goddaughter arriving tonight who's going to be stealing whatever time I'm home working in the kitchen for her first year helping cook for Thanksgiving... poor girl has no clue what she's happily jumping in to do lol


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life continues on, back to America we go...

**:-:-:-:-:-:  
****Chapter 8  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Friday, May 26** **th** **, 2017  
****San Francisco, California  
****5:01 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “Andrew!” **  
  
** Hearing his name, Andrew turned towards the voice and spotted his father heading over with his mother and two of his siblings in tow. **  
  
** “You guys made it,” he smiled as he gave his father a hug. **  
  
** “Mom and the sisters took _forever_ ,” Donovan whispered as Andrew leaned over to hug his nine-year-old brother. **  
  
** “Welcome to life kid,” he whispered back before straightening to hug his sister who had blessedly just celebrated her twelfth birthday and seven months in remission. **  
  
** “You look beautiful, sis.” **  
  
** “Thanks,” Arianna smiled up at him, “You still don't look half bad in a dress yourself,” she winked. **  
  
** Andrew chuckled, Donovan had been five when he graduated high school and couldn't understand why his big brother was wearing a purple dress. **  
  
** “You look wonderful,” his mom spoke up, stepping in front of him for her own hug. “Sorry, we took a bit longer than planned. How long until it's time to start?” **  
  
** “Twenty minutes,” he explained after a quick glance at his watch, “Where's Rach?” he asked as he glanced around for his sister. **  
  
** “She said she'd be a minute, something about forgetting your lei…” his mom waved a hand to dismiss it. **  
  
** “Don't remember any talk of getting you a lei _before_ we were on Muni though,” his dad shrugged, “You know how your sister is though…” **  
  
** “Not as absentminded as _that_ ,” Andrew pointed out, glancing around for her again. “Well, I hope she gets her soon…” **  
  
** “Oh, I'm sure it will all work out, we'll save a seat worse case…” his dad voiced. **  
  
** “ _So_ , we figured we'd go to Mel’s there will be plenty of time to get pictures, including with your friends, and escape the madhouse,” his mom began, her hands reaching up to straighten his cap, erase a few nonexistent wrinkles in his gown across his shoulders. “And you did tell your friends about the party next weekend to celebrate, that they're _all_ invited…” **  
  
** “Yes Mom,” he rolled his eyes before sending her a smile, then reaching out to hug her. “I thought the joy of being twenty-two was I _didn't_ have you nagging all the time?” he teased, she had texted and emailed a dozen times to remind him to invite his friends. **  
  
** “Better let that dream go, she's gonna mother you as long as she lives,” his dad laughed as his mom rolled her own eyes. **  
  
** “Sue me,” she challenged. **  
  
** “He'd be an idiot with your success rate in court Mom,” Rachel announced as she appeared behind him. “This is yours,” she explained, holding up a purple lei. **  
  
** “I thought I specifically said _no_ flowers,” he countered as he took the lei in one hand, wrapping the other arm around her in a hug. **  
  
** “Yeah well, you lose, couldn't pass up the pin on it…” Rachel smirked. **  
  
** Andrew frowned, turning the lei until he found the pin in question, “What's this?” he looked down at it in confusion. **  
  
** “I know that,” his dad reached out to raise it up more for visual, “That's the pin used by the MacDougall's. How'd you manage to get your hands on one of these Rach? Your Grandma MacDougall would be thrilled.” **  
  
** Andrew had heard everything that was being said but also mostly tuned out the moment he heard it was the tartan pin of his father's mother's family. Instead, he was already glancing around in search of the familiar figure as his sister confirmed to their father what he had already realized, that she hadn't gotten the pin. **  
  
** They had discussed family histories when talking about the quirk of his family tree, how he thought it was interesting he had French and Scottish blood now... **  
  
** “Rosemary,” he breathed when two people stepped away nearby, clearing his view to where she stood, hands behind her back with an impish smile. She hadn’t changed much in the last couple of months, and yet it was like it had been years since he’d seen her. Her hair was pulled up in a bun, with curls framing her face where her bangs had always sat to either side of her face since she wore them long, and she wore one of the dresses she got in London, a white and pale green fluttering thing that fell to the floor, flowing in layers around her while her arms were bare save for small bits of the fabric that fell loosely around the upper part of her arms. **  
  
** He heard Rachel’s laugh as he stepped away, intent on reaching the person who had told him twenty-one hours earlier that she was stuck in England and she hoped he had a wonderful day today. **  
  
** The little liar. **  
  
** “ _You_ ,” he voiced once he stood in front of her. **  
  
** “Me,” she echoed with a small shrug. “Surprise,” she added a moment later, hands going out to either side held up as a 'well, what now’ kind of look. **  
  
** Andrew wasted no time, stepping forward now that her hands weren't behind her back to wrap his own arms around her, raising her slightly off the ground as he hugged her close. “You have _no_ clue how much I've missed you,” he whispered into her hair. **  
  
** Rosemary chuckled against his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his neck holding him as close as he held her, “Oh, I _think_ I can imagine,” she countered quietly. “You have to put me down though love, you have to go graduate…” **  
  
** “Nope, don't care,” he shot back, pulling his head back to look at her, smiling as she moved her head so she could see him. “I'm quite content to stay right here,” he argued, resting his forehead on hers. **  
  
** She laughed, and it was his new favorite sound he decided in that moment, a carefree laugh he hadn't heard yet in this life, but the memories stirred in his mind of a race to get unclothed for skinny dipping before the act had a name. **  
  
** “You will _completely_ get tired of holding my weight before long.” **  
  
** “Never,” he argued with a smile **  
  
** “If you say so,” she rolled her eyes, moving her head to kiss his cheek, “but you still need to put me down. I'm sure we've _completely_ confused your family, and _you_ don't get a choice, you are _going_ to get that diploma, while I sit with your family and watch. _So_ ,” she removed a hand from behind his neck, one finger extended as she pointed towards the ground next to him, “put me down,” she ordered lightly. **  
  
** “Yes ma'am,” he chuckled as he lowered her back down to her feet, taking her hand in his once she was on her own two feet, so he could walk back over to where his parents watched with bemused smiles while Rachel wasn't bothering to hide her laughter. His other sister had the decency to be giggling behind her hand. **  
  
** “Sisters are so _weird_ ,” Donovan announced as they stepped closer. **  
  
** “Get used to them kid,” Andrew smiled as his brother rolled his eyes. “Everyone, _this_ is Rosemary. Rosemary, this is my family,” he waved his free hand to encompass the group. “You know Rachel, this is Arianna and Donovan, and my parents, James and Claudia.” **  
  
** “It's nice to finally meet you,” his mom smiled, reaching out to shake Rosemary's hand, “Though I recognized you from the pictures he brought back from England.” **  
  
** “Good thing too,” his dad laughed as he shook her hand, “or we'd have been completely lost at who this lovely young woman he was ditching us for could be.” **  
  
** “Yes, well I wasn't expecting that reaction, or I'd have warned Rach so she could be breathing properly right now.” **  
  
** “Oh, I'm fine,” Rachel waved her free hand as the other rested over her heart while she slowly worked on taking long breaths of air. “You bossing him around just made my _year_ …” **  
  
** “Brat,” Andrew rolled his eyes but knew he was smiling like an idiot. “How did you manage to get here, or have you been planning this all along?” he looked back down at Rosemary with suspicion. **  
  
** “Technically, I had a ticket bought for the week after finals but put it on hold until I got my okay to leave when they said I had to stay longer. They told me two days ago I was free to go, so I tried to get my ticket for as soon as I could in case I could make it. Didn't want to say anything in case I couldn't get a flight out in time. In the end, I lucked out.” **  
  
** “We've been talking for weeks, so she let me know it was a possibility and I let Mom know there was a chance a mutual friend would be able to make it so we got an extra ticket just in case. Only _I_ knew who it would be though, I got a text on the way over that she'd made it here so I went to meet her and help her find our insane little group.” **  
  
** “Sneaky women,” he looked between the two, Rosemary took on an innocent look while Rachel just smirked. **  
  
** “Oh no, I think we're in trouble,” his dad laughed, “they have the angel devil thing down perfectly.” **  
  
** “Oh, I already knew I approved of Rosemary after I met her, I'm just glad they got things worked out,” Rachel smiled, stepping over to link her arm with Rosemary's free one. “Now say goodbye brother dear, and go join your classmates as it looks like it's time.” **  
  
** Andrew glanced over his shoulder and sighed when he saw people gathering, “Fine, oh bossy one,” he muttered as he looked back. **  
  
** “And you can't forget this,” Rosemary added, separating from him to take the lei from his dad, “it's graduation requirements to have something.” **  
  
** “I'm so getting payback,” he promised as he bent his head so she could slip it over and around his neck. **  
  
** “Well I wouldn't expect anything else,” she answered before stepping back to link arms with Rachel again. **  
  
** He pursed his lips together, then shook his head, “See you guys later.” **  
  
** “With bells on,” his mother grinned and he just shook his head before slipping away to find his seat. He sent a silent prayer skyward that he wouldn’t find his family wearing necklaces with small bells when he found them afterward, knowing his father’s habit of doing silly things. **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Friday, May 26** **th** **, 2017  
****San Francisco, California  
****9:08 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** Sitting with Andrew’s family had been an interesting experience for Rosemary. She had intended to sit on the end, only to have Rachel and Claudia insist she sit between them. James sat next to Claudia with Donovan on the end, while Arianna sat next to Rachel at the other end. **  
  
** She quickly figured out that it was so Rachel and Claudia could talk to her while they waited between the boring parts as Arianna declared them, the long endless time before Andrew’s name was called, and after, and in between the speeches that took up the start of the ceremony. **  
  
** By the time the last name was called, they had sufficiently interrogated her, at least that was James’ way of putting it when he told the two to let her be. They knew where she grew up, what made her want to be a teacher, and had asked a million and one questions it seemed about life in England. **  
  
** “Promise, we won’t always be this bad,” Rachel spoke as they stood after the fireworks ended to go and meet Andrew, who was currently stuck in the midst of the cheering, and even dancing, graduates. “Give us six months to get used to you,” she added with a wink. **  
  
** “Are they doing the waltz?” Arianna asked, pointing down toward the sea of graduates. **  
  
** “Looks like it,” James nodded, “And you thought dance lessons _wouldn’t_ be useful in life…” **  
  
** “Ballroom is _boring_ ,” Arianna shot her dad the typical twelve going on twenty look, before rolling her eyes. **  
  
** “Is there another type of dancing you’d rather be doing?” Rosemary asked, falling back a step as they walked down the stairs so she was with Arianna instead of Rachel. **  
  
** “I’ve done them _all_ ,” Arianna declared with a proud smile, “I’m still in ballet, but I’ll admit I really _loved_ swing.” **  
  
** “I love watching ballet, it always seems so elegant,” Rosemary smiled. **  
  
** “I do like it, or else I wouldn’t be doing it still. I just _also_ like the other types of dance too, you know?” she looked up at Rosemary. **  
  
** “I completely understand that,” she nodded. “You’re lucky, I always wanted to learn how to dance, actually I once wanted to be an ice skater, but since the closest rink most of my early childhood was Berkley, that was never an option.” **  
  
** “Ice skating is fun, Donovan hates it though.” **  
  
** “It’s _hard_ ,” Donovan shot back from where he was now walking with Rachel, their parents leading the way. **  
  
** “Only because _you_ can’t even rollerblade,” Arianna countered. “He can’t even ride roller _skates_ ,” she added quietly. **  
  
** “At least I can skateboard,” he turned around to give Arianna a triumphant look, “You can’t do that.” **  
  
** “I don’t _want_ to,” she argued. **  
  
** “Well, _I_ don’t want to roller skate, or blade, _or_ ice skate.” **  
  
** “Donovan, turn around before you run into someone. _Or_ trip and break your neck,” Claudia shot her son a look, and he turned around quickly while Arianna tried to not giggle. **  
  
** Rosemary laughed a little, she couldn’t help it, “I think there is never going to be a dull moment around you guys, is there?” **  
  
** “Nope,” Rachel smiled over her shoulder at her, “We’re a barrel of laughs _all_ the time. Just wait until you play Monopoly with us.” **  
  
** “Monopoly?” **  
  
** Donovan and Arianna perked up then looked at Rosemary who had said it at the same time they had. **  
  
** “You like Monopoly?” Donovan asked suspiciously. “Almost no one _truly_ likes Monopoly…” **  
  
** “ _I_ like Monopoly when you can have munchies and talk about silly stuff, maybe break into song, and spend hours sitting at the table just playing and having fun,” Rosemary agreed. “My friends and I used to have marathons in high school, five or six hours for one game. Of course, that was when we allowed bailouts and mergers, usually just to gang up on the one person who _always_ won, so he’d lose.” **  
  
** “Hey mom, can we keep her?” Arianna called as they reached the main part of the field. **  
  
** “I think that’s not a decision _I_ get to make,” Claudia, turned to look at them, “but personally I think we can completely keep her.” **  
  
** “I suddenly feel like a puppy,” Rosemary laughed. **  
  
** “Why do you feel like a puppy?” Andrew asked from their right, and they all turned to look at him as he walked over. **  
  
** The question was delayed as he got passed around for hugs and congratulations, and she waited until he had planted himself at her side when all was done to explain. “Your sister wants to keep me, and asked your mom if it was okay.” **  
  
** “Ahh,” Andrew nodded, “I like this theory. Hey Mom, I say we keep her,” he smiled towards his mom as he caught her hand in his own. **  
  
** “She plays Monopoly,” Donovan announced with a grin. **  
  
** “You do?” Andrew looked down at her in surprise, “You never told me that. Why do we play cards so much if you play Monopoly?” **  
  
** “Cards travel well,” Rosemary shrugged, “Besides, if you had bothered investigating my game shelf you would have known that anyway, I have nine different versions.” **  
  
** “They’re Disney aren’t they?” he narrowed his eyes at her in suspicion. **  
  
** “You have _nine_ different types of Monopoly?” Arianna and Donovan asked in awe. **  
  
** “Yup,” she smiled at them, “And no, they aren’t _all_ Disney,” she looked towards Andrew, “I also have the original, Firefly, Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and Nintendo. The majority _aren’t_ Disney." **  
  
** “How do you have more than one Disney?” Rachel asked with a frown. **  
  
** “Original Disney, Disney theme parks, Disney Villains, and Nightmare Before Christmas,” Rosemary counted off, “Each one has different properties and pieces, no two are alike. And the Disney Villains was one of those ones where you pick which go where, I _couldn’t_ pass it up.” **  
  
** “You _really_ like Disney,” Donovan stared at her. **  
  
** “And I had no clue when I met her,” Andrew laughed. **  
  
** “If you had been _nosy_ you’d have known, that games shelf also has the Haunted Mansion Life, Tower of Terror Clue, and Pirates of the Caribbean Life. Plus I own _every_ Disney movie made practically,” she paused, corrected herself, “well all the animated ones and the live actions from Walt’s time, since the 80s it’s the movies I like for live actions.” **  
  
** “Can I come to your house and stay for a month?” Arianna looked between Rosemary and her mom, “Please?” **  
  
** “Do you have a house?” Andrew blinked and looked down at her, “Did Sasha hold the apartment for you for two years?” **  
  
** “Sasha owns the house, she doesn’t need to rent the apartment technically, so she said she was leaving everything as it was until I got back. Of course, with me leaving in a short time to go to Irvine, it’s going to stay unused, but after I finish my program she says as long as I need it, it’s mine so…” she shrugged lightly before focusing on Arianna. “And unfortunately you can’t come to stay a month, I won’t even be there a whole month straight.” **  
  
** “All those movies and games,” Arianna sighed. “That would be _so_ much fun.” **  
  
** “Well if all you want is to visit and play some of her games and watch her movies, I’m sure something can be figured out. Maybe Rosemary would be nice enough to bring a couple games or her favorite movies to the graduation party so when you get bored of your family and brother’s friends you can borrow them,” Claudia pointed out. **  
  
** “I could do that,” Rosemary agreed, “I’ll hide away with you.” **  
  
** “I’m so there,” Donovan grinned, “So you have Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, why both?” **  
  
** “Different boards and pieces, plus I like to put the movies on when I’m playing those ones. And they’re the only ones Sasha will play with me, she doesn’t much like Monopoly.” **  
  
** “Blasphemy,” James laughed. **  
  
** “Why don’t we get some pictures and get out of here?” Claudia suggested, “Do you have any clue where your friends are sweetie?” **  
  
** Andrew nodded, “Actually we all pre-planned meeting up outside the stadium, knowing more than one of us had a mom who would want pictures.” **  
  
** “Smart boys, no wonder you all graduated today,” Claudia smirked. **  
  
** “Yeah, yeah,” Andrew shook his head. **  
  
** “Lead the way then,” James waved a hand towards the exit. **  
  
** “Did they drive you crazy?” Andrew whispered as they navigated the mass of people. **  
  
** “No, they were wonderful,” she answered with a smile. “Your family is lovely Andrew.” **  
  
** “No offense to my family, I’m more thrilled you’re here than them at the moment,” he admitted with a sheepish smile. **  
  
** “And I think they all understand that, at least the older ones,” she pointed out softly, “I’m glad I could make it.” **  
  
** “Me too,” he agreed, squeezing her hand gently. “So, be prepared, the guys have been bugging to meet you since February, it might be crazy.” **  
  
** “I’ve been expecting as much, this is part of being a relationship right, meeting family and friends. My mother’s started asking about meeting you since she found out Steph, Kyla, and Sasha all have.” **  
  
** “Suddenly I am very afraid,” Andrew glanced down at her as they finally exited the stadium. **  
  
** “Don’t worry, she’s harmless,” she waved her free hand to dismiss his concerns. **  
  
** “My mother is harmless, your mother is _complicated_.” **  
  
** “Oh, that’s true,” she began, turning so she was facing him and walking backward, “but she’s still harmless for you,” she added with a smirk, darting away when she saw the familiar glint in his eyes even as he reached with his free hand for her arm, fingers poised to tickle. **  
  
** “Get back here,” Andrew called as he chased after her, his family laughing farther behind them as she lifted her skirts enough that she could truly run while they dashed around other people. Her own giggles filled the air as she dodged between two people, throwing an apology back as he had to stop short to avoid crashing into the two. **  
  
** “Got you,” his voice was triumphant as he grabbed her around the waist, and lifted her into the air and spinning her around after several minutes of their game. “You are in so much trouble,” he muttered into her ear, “Running in a cap and gown is _not_ easy.” **  
  
** “Running in a dress and heels is?” she argued as he set her down, and she turned in his arms to look at him with one eyebrow quirked up. **  
  
** “You started this,” he countered. **  
  
** “You were going to tickle me!” **  
  
** “Because of what _you_ said.”  
**  
** “She _is_ harmless for you,” Rosemary rolled her eyes, “it’s only me she drives crazy.” **  
  
** “Like Marie?” Andrew pointed out quietly. “And with the one exception of bribing the servants and telling me where you had run off to, she proved just as annoying for me as you, because she annoyed you.” **  
  
** “My mother isn’t as bad as Marie,” she rolled her eyes, “She’s not _manipulative_ , she just can kill you with kindness…” **  
  
** “I don’t know if that’s a better option yet. If she was a manipulative bitch, you’d cut her out of your life easier than you could if someone killing you with kindness was too much to take.” **  
  
** “How can you be killed with kindness?” Arianna asked as the family finally rejoined them. **  
  
** “Easy, they drive you crazy with all the stuff they want to do for you and with you, not always consulting you first. Yet, they’re being nice, so how can you get mad even if all you want to do is scream and find a place to hide for the next six months,” Rosemary explained, looking at the younger girl and silently praying that she had missed the first part of her brother’s comment. **  
  
** "Wow,” Arianna blinked twice, then looked at her mom, “Have you ever known someone like that?” **  
  
** “Yes, your great-aunt Bea,” Claudia agreed, “Drove my cousin Amanda insane, and now Amanda does it to your cousin Susie. Isn’t the circle of life grand?” she asked, focusing on Rosemary. **  
  
** “My Grandmother did it to my Mom, I’m desperately determined to break the cycle,” Rosemary agreed. **  
  
** “So, where are we meeting your friends now that you two had your fun?” James asked with a smile, “Oh and your mother took pictures, be afraid.” **  
  
** “Petrified,” Andrew grinned towards his mother. “The guys are why there’s a large crowd over there,” he nodded to a spot about a hundred feet to their left. **  
  
** The group made their way over to Andrew’s friends, and introductions were made between the young men and Andrew’s group, between the various parents, and Rosemary got more than one apology for taking up the sidewalk once upon a time, each time the person wearing a sheepish look. Pictures were taken for the next forty minutes in various arrangements, those not in pictures at the time often chatting with others to pass the time. **  
  
** Eventually, the group started drifting away, the guys promising Claudia they’d be at the party that Andrew had told them about five times. Their own group of six made their way towards the Muni stop so they could head back towards Montgomery station. **  
  
** Along the way, the group ended up split up, grabbing seats when they became available. In the end, Andrew and Rosemary managed to grab a seat together after six stops, as Claudia and Arianna shared another further away with James standing over them, and Rachel shared a spot with Donovan at the front of the car. **  
  
** “I still can’t wrap my head around the fact you’re here,” Andrew spoke after sitting silently holding her hand for a few minutes. **  
  
** She chuckled, tracing her fingers against his palm, “Give it a few days of not trying to Skype at all hours of the night and early morning, it’ll sink in.” **  
  
** “Give it a few days of seeing you every day, that will make it sink in too,” he countered with a smile. **  
  
** “Really?” Rosemary looked up at him, “How do you plan on seeing me every day?” **  
  
** “I get on the ferry in the morning and come down there,” he shrugged, “ _Or_ I just beg Sasha to let me crash on her spare bed for a few days, haven’t quite figured that out yet.” **  
  
** She laughed, she couldn’t help it, “You’re crazy.” **  
  
** “About you? _Completely_ ,” Andrew smirked, taking the smack against his arm that followed without complaint. **  
  
** “That is _not_ what I meant, and you _know_ it,” she shot him a pointed look. “You have a graduation party at your parents in a very short time. And I’m assuming an _entire_ apartment to pack up, since aren’t you supposed to be moving back to Long Beach?” **  
  
** “I’ve had my stuff pretty much packed for a week,” he shrugged. “Most of it is set to be picked up for moving on Tuesday leaving me with just the basics for standard travel living. Mom and Dad will understand if I don’t come down to Long Beach permanently until after the nineteenth.” **  
  
** “Why the nineteenth?” she frowned, looking up at him in confusion. **  
  
** “Well, your commencement is the sixteenth, and I figure I’m definitely sticking around for the weekend after that at the very least.” **  
  
** “How did you know my commencement is the sixteenth? _I_ didn’t send any announcements out, and even if my mother _did_ , she didn’t have your contact information…” she stared up at him, mind racing to contemplate what had happened. **  
  
** “So I was nosy and checked online, seeing as _you_ weren’t nice enough to give me the date like I did you,” Andrew gave her a slight look, one conveying annoyance in spades. **  
  
** “I didn’t even know if I’d be _back_ for commencement. Plus, I was hoping to avoid a big deal being made,” she admitted, looking away from him. **  
  
** “Why?” his voice was soft and full of concern as he reached out to turn her head back to him. **  
  
** Rosemary sighed heavily, “I’ve got a _lot_ of bridges to fix, and the truth is the _last_ person I want to deal with right now is my mother. She’s pissed I stayed MIA for almost a year. I have no clue how Steph and Kyla feel about it. Sasha took one look at me when she met me at the airport and told me no staying out of contact while I’m in Irvine, but otherwise seems okay…" she paused, released a long breath. "Honestly, I’m not up to the lectures and questions, the anger. If I don’t let people know when commencement is, maybe I can just put the drama off for that day.” **  
  
** “You know your mom will _never_ forgive you for not being at your graduation from college,” he countered softly. “Why don’t we go see her before commencement, get the fight, if there is a fight, out of the way before.” **  
  
** “Oh, there’s _going_ to be a fight, in the sense that she’s going to act like everything is _fine._ Except for the rest of her life, she’s going to talk about how she ‘guesses I had my reasons for not being in touch’ _whenever_ she mentions something that happened in the last nine months, but, you know I wasn’t able to know _when_ it happened, cause she couldn’t talk to me'.” She realized how that sounded, and closed her mouth quickly. **  
  
** “And you wonder why I’m against meeting your mom,” Andrew rolled his eyes, “You can claim she kills with kindness all you want, but she also seems to be the _queen_ of guilt. I don’t see how one makes the other alright.” **  
  
** “It doesn’t,” she admitted softly, “but it’s who she is. Would you change _your_ mom?” **  
  
** “ _My_ mom doesn’t pull what _your_ mom does.” **  
  
** “But she does do things that annoy you,” she countered softly, “You _accept_ them as part of who she is.” **  
  
** “I _also_ tell her that it’s annoying me, so maybe she’ll stop,” he pointed out as they pulled into Van Ness. **  
  
** Rosemary glanced out the window, “Can we let it drop for now? We only have a few more stops, and I’d _rather_ be focused on enjoying celebrating your achievement with your family, then _arguing_ over my family…” she looked back at him as they pulled out of the station on their way to Civic Center. **  
  
** “Yeah,” he nodded, kissing the top of her head a moment later, “Sorry love.” **  
  
** “It’s okay,” she whispered, leaning into him for the last minutes of their trip, taking the comfort being near him gave and letting the discussion fade away. **  
  
** “We’re here,” he whispered too soon, and she opened her eyes, rising from her seat to follow so many others out of the bus. Andrew wasted no time in taking her hand, squeezing it gently as they waited for his family to join them so they could head upstairs and make their way to the restaurant. **  
  
** “Let’s go celebrate,” she smiled up at him brightly, glad to see the storms cleared from his eyes, leaving the bright blue sky she loved as a smile spread across his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this and the next couple of chapters will be shorter than some have been in the past, but we get some happy times along the way!
> 
> Hope everyone has a good week.


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the lovely comments and kudos, it's wonderful to see people enjoying my crazy little plot bunny :-)

**:-:-:-:-:-:  
****Chapter 9  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Saturday, May 27** **th** **, 2017  
****Vallejo, California  
****5:31 a.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “Come on, it’s time to wake up.” Rosemary groaned, rolled away from the voice talking right into her ear. “Don’t make me play P.O.D.,” the voice continued. **  
  
** “Go away,” she muttered, burrowing farther into her blankets. **  
  
** “Kyla, get the P.O.D. She’s trying to ignore me.” **  
  
** “You play that crap Stephanie, I’ll kill you,” Sasha’s voice echoed, and Rosemary opened her eyes slowly as she began to process what was happening. **  
  
** “Steph?” she looked over her shoulder at the raven-haired woman, “What are you _doing_ here?” **  
  
** “Kidnapping you,” Stephanie answered simply. **  
  
** “What?” she looked at the woman, blinking repeatedly as her brain tried to catch up without full functional capabilities. **  
  
** “Stop confusing her,” Sasha spoke, coming into the bedroom, “Go help Kyla finish packing the car.” **  
  
** “What is going on?” Rosemary looked at the oldest of their group. **  
  
** “We’re going to the beach. It’s Memorial Day weekend. You don’t get a choice.” **  
  
** “We’re going to the beach on Memorial Day weekend, are you _crazy_?” she simply stared at her friend. **  
  
** “Nope,” Sasha smirked, “We’ve had this planned for five months, so get your butt up, we need to get on the road already.” **  
  
** “What beach are we even going to?” Rosemary asked grouchily as she pushed the covers away and got up. **  
  
** “Wright’s,” Kyla called from the kitchen area. “Sasha even got the bus out of storage for this, so stop complaining and get dressed and packed so we can get on the road already.” **  
  
** “You couldn’t have told me about this _yesterday_?” she shot a look at Sasha who merely shrugged. **  
  
** “You were with Andrew and his family yesterday. Now, chop chop, we're burning daylight.” **  
  
** “The sun just rose, we can spare some daylight,” she grumbled, moving to her suitcase to get an outfit. “You realize my swimsuit is packed, right?” she called towards her friend. **  
  
** “Nope, I went through your boxes and found your swimming stuff, it’s in the bathroom cabinet. So come on, pack for a weekend at the beach so we can get going already. I need to go watch for our final members.” **  
  
** “Final members?” Rosemary turned to stare at the other two in confusion after Sasha left, “Who is going beside us four?” **  
  
** “Tom is coming, of course, I'm riding with him,” Stephanie explained without looking up from digging through a box labeled 'games'. **  
  
** “Someone _might_ have mentioned something to Andrew…” Kyla shrugged before grabbing the picnic basket she had been filling and darting into the garage area. **  
  
** “ _What_?” she stared at the remaining member of her high school group in shock. **  
  
** “What?” Stephanie turned her full attention to Rosemary, hands finding her hips, “ _We_ can’t get to know the guy you’re in love with?” **  
  
** “Of course you can get to know him, that’s not the point,” she frowned, then shook her head. “You guys can’t spring a camping trip on me and _then_ tell me you invited the guy I’m involved with, all without _consulting_ me. He should be spending time with his _family_ …” **  
  
** “And _we_ merely pointed out that you were going to be out if you happened to be in town, as we were kidnapping you. _He_ voiced wishing he could tag along as he’s never seen the beaches up north, so Sasha said he _could_ come if _he_ wanted. It was his _choice_. So, suck it up buttercup, and go get dressed. We have a several hours long car trip to get on, and people to see and meet, so we can have fun with friends before you have to get your butt back to Santa Cruz Tuesday, while Tom and I are due back at Stanford.” **  
  
** “I’m going to murder you all,” she rolled her eyes before stalking to the bathroom to get dressed. “I demand Starbucks,” she yelled after shutting the door. **  
  
** “Yeah, yeah,” Stephanie’s voice echoed to her, in that dismissive way that she knew meant they would be getting her Starbucks, but Stephanie was still going to tease. **  
  
** “When did they even have time to talk to Andrew?” Rosemary muttered to herself as she got dressed. **  
  
** “Hey chick, move it,” Stephanie yelled a few minutes later as Rosemary was pulling her hair up into a ponytail. **  
  
** “Hold your horses,” she yelled back. **  
  
** Turning, she grabbed the stuff out of the cabinet and made her way back to where her suitcase was. She was mildly glad that she had only packed clothes appropriate for the weather she was coming home to when she prepped to come home, having shipped everything else home to Sasha earlier. **  
  
** Once her bag was packed, she turned out lights and headed outside to see Sasha busy with her baby, the blue VW bus she had also inherited from her Grandmother. Normally, she kept the vehicle in storage, saving it for trips, as while a car might be helpful; if that car was a fully functional camper, it didn't help a lot with daily function. Having no garage, she opted to keep it safe in storage rather than leave it out to the elements. It got pulled out several times a year for trips to Faires and beach trips like this weekend. **  
  
** Stephanie was over at the curb next to the Prius that belonged to her longtime boyfriend Tom, chatting with the man himself, while Kyla leaned against the hood of the Prius talking on her phone. Shaking her head, she walked over to Sasha where she was stashing things into the van. **  
  
** “Present,” she voiced as she held up her travel bag. **  
  
** “Good, I've been waiting for that,” Sasha grabbed it and stashed it quickly, then went back to stashing other things. **  
  
** “So who's watching my cat?” she asked, leaning against the open door. **  
  
** “Your mom is going to check in on him.” **  
  
** “You got mom in on this?” Rosemary just stared at the other woman in shock. “You _know_ that means she's going to be waiting here Monday night.” **  
  
** “Maybe,” Sasha shrugged, “Maybe I told her we were driving you back to Santa Cruz Tuesday morning before I came home. Which is why we packed your other suitcase in Tom’s car seeing as we didn't get to leave yesterday due to you having to be at an event. So we changed things to leave Tuesday and avoid traffic.” **  
  
** “ _Really_?” she looked at her friend in shock. “How _long_ have you been plotting this?” **  
  
** “I told you, several months,” Sasha turned around, sitting on the floor of the van to look at her. “The three of us started plotting a camping trip in February and I booked the site then. We hoped you'd be back in time, worse case the four of us would go and I'd enjoy the beach and not kill them… After Andrew got back from visiting you, he stopped by to apologize for not protecting me better from your potential wrath. I told him not to worry about it, you needed the kick in the butt and would forgive me, and asked when his commencement was knowing you'd probably want to go. When he revealed it was yesterday, I knew we wouldn't be able to leave when planned, so I called up the people to change the reservation until today, dropping one day. And, I warned him we would be kidnapping you for camping at the beach the day after his ceremony if you were in town.” **  
  
** “Stephanie mentioned that,” she agreed, “And he voiced never seeing the beaches and got an invite.” **  
  
** “Exactly, an invite with or without you. He opted to come if you were in town. I'm sure he explained everything to his parents somehow. So cheer up, we're going camping _and_ you get to see your guy.” Sasha sent her a grin, before turning around to finish sorting. **  
  
** “And how are we doing sleeping arrangements with six? Are the boys being banished to a tent?” **  
  
** “We'll work it out,” Sasha waved a hand to dismiss the concern. **  
  
** Rosemary rolled her eyes but turned away to go say hi to Tom, before he tried to tackle her for ignoring him. One of the annoyances of knowing a former wrestler from their high school team, he had _never_ learned hugs didn't require leaving the ground, or that charging people to give them said hugs was annoying as hell. **  
  
** “The prodigal member returns,” Tom announced as she came towards the car. **  
  
** “I spent less than a year abroad, that hardly qualifies me as 'prodigal’,” she countered, watching as he pushed away from the car. **  
  
** “No contact except postcards for most of a year, it _qualifies_ ,” he argued, before sweeping her into a hug. “So, where's my very British present?” he asked after she was back on her own two feet. **  
  
** “You are worse than a five-year-old,” she laughed as she stepped back. “These three had the decency to _wait_ for me to say something about gifts.” **  
  
** “Yes, well we always knew _I_ refuse to grow up,” Tom grinned. **  
  
** “Yes big baby, your gift is in my suitcase. You have to wait til later for it.” **  
  
** “Yea!” Tom grinned and looked back at Stephanie, “Hear that Babe, _I_ got a gift.” **  
  
** “I heard. And I got one too, so don't think you're special,” she teased. **  
  
** “I'm _always_ special,” he argued, drifting back towards the car, “I'm the only male who survived in the group after high school.” **  
  
** “Yup, you're our one and only,” Kyla chuckled. **  
  
** “Blame Stephanie,” Sasha whispered as she stepped up next to Rosemary. **  
  
** She glanced at her friend and smacked her shoulder, “Hush, you love Tom.” **  
  
** “More than the other two,” Sasha muttered. “Your car ready?” she asked out loud. **  
  
** “Yup,” he nodded. “Do I have to park away from the site again?” **  
  
** “Possibly,” Sasha shrugged. “We'll figure it out there. And I got a text, Drew is fifteen away.” **  
  
** “Am I just being _completely_ left out of the loop here?” Rosemary looked around the four in annoyance. **  
  
** “Nah, he just doesn't know _you_ know,” Sasha chuckled. **  
  
** “Oi,” she rolled her eyes, “So where are we getting Starbucks and breakfast?” **  
  
** “By Raley’s," Sasha answered, "Figured we'll divide and conquer. One person from each car gets drinks, rest can go to Raley's and grab food.” **  
  
** “Plus we need the usual munchies,” Tom interjected. **  
  
** “Do we even have food for this trip?” she looked around the group. **  
  
** “Steph and I hit up Costco yesterday. So we got sausages and hamburgers, buns, potato salad, and Kyla made us get those salads you three like,” Tom went through the list with a smile.  **  
  
** “Also have soda and water, and s'mores supplies,” Stephanie added. **  
  
** “But per usual they didn't think to get chips, dip, fruit or vegetables,” Kyla muttered.  
**  
** “How do you _always_ do that?” Rosemary stared at the couple, “Especially as Steph is the first to complain if we don't have munchies for Mad Quao or Hand and Foot.” **  
  
** “Bite me,” Stephanie grumbled. **  
  
** “Okay,” Tom grinned before Stephanie shrieked and raced around the car as he gave chase. Kyla just scooted farther up the hood, getting all four limbs out of the way and continued on her phone, ignoring Stephanie's threats of vengeance if he actually bit her. **  
  
** “Do I want to understand?” **  
  
** Rosemary jumped and turned her head, while next to her Sasha jumped slightly at the sudden voice next to them. Andrew stood just behind them with a backpack and was watching the scene in front of them with raised eyebrows. **  
  
** “Stephanie said 'bite me’, Tom is taking her up on the offer. Except, she didn't mean it literally,” Sasha explained with a shrug. **  
  
** “I take it this is common,” he looked down at her. **  
  
** “We've been trying to break Steph of the 'bite me' thing for years. Tom started this up junior year.” **  
  
** “Ahh,” he nodded, “So, where does my stuff go?” **  
  
** “Help him find a place in the van, I'll try to corral those two,” Sasha spoke before squaring her shoulders and stomping off towards the Prius. **  
  
** “Come on,” she voiced before heading towards the side door to the back of the van. **  
  
** “Hi,” Andrew spoke softly once they were away from the others **  
  
** “Hi,” she answered, sending him a small smile before climbing into the van to calculate if there was a stash place or if the backpack would end up in foot space. **  
  
** “Am I in trouble?” he asked a moment later. She glanced back at him, quirked an eyebrow, waited for him to explain. “Not warning you what they were up to, getting myself invited along without checking if it was okay…” he trailed off with a shrug. **  
  
** “Ahh,” she nodded, turned back to what she was doing. “Warning me would have annoyed them, it's fine. I'm not mad.” **  
  
** “Rosemary,” he spoke softly, his hand resting on her hand that was supporting her as she leaned into the van. She paused again, turned to face him fully, sitting on the doorway in the process. “Is it okay that I'm here?” he asked carefully, watching her intently. **  
  
** She sighed, recognizing that look, he was worried she was mad, upset, something. “Sit,” she spoke, scooting over to give him space, waiting until he was next to her to take his hand. “I'm annoyed they sprung this on me. I'm _going_ to enjoy myself, but I'm still annoyed I wasn't told anything until they dragged me out of bed this morning. Had I known, I might have not waited till the last bus to come home last night so I could get more sleep, no matter how much fun I was having with your family…” **  
  
** “Okay,” he nodded, “I get that. Still haven't answered my question.” **  
  
** She smiled, leaned her head on his shoulder, “I'm concerned about your family, it feels like my friends stole you away when you should be celebrating with them. You graduated from college _yesterday_ , they came up from Long Beach, and they got what, _one_ day with you? That's not fair…” **  
  
** “My family knew this was potentially happening for months. Mom just looked at me last night after you left, and told me to have fun meeting your friends. Hell, she said they were invited to the party next weekend if I wanted. They're _okay_ with this. I think Mom is secretly thrilled,” he added with a shrug. **  
  
** “Why?” she raised her head to look at him in bewilderment. **  
  
** “She likes you, told me that last night, too. I think she likes you more than any of my exes, which is good seeing as _I_ like you better than them too.” **  
  
** “You better,” she muttered after smacking his arm lightly. **  
  
** Andrew chuckled, kissed her temple before wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. “I never took time out to purposely get to know any of my ex's friends before. It was always their lead that introduced me to their circle. I think Mom recognizes how serious this is for me, I _want_ to meet your friends, get to know them because they mean something to you. And if this works like we are both hoping, they will be part of _my_ life. I think she's taking this as a sign of how much you mean to me.” **  
  
** “Your mom is weird,” she pointed out with a smile. **  
  
** “Good weird though,” he grinned. “So, you and I okay?” **  
  
** “Yeah, goofball,” Rosemary chuckled, “We're fine. I'm not mad at you. And once I've had tea and breakfast I'll be done being annoyed at _them_." **  
  
** “Good,” Sasha announced as she circled into their line of view. “You two in the back, we've got Kyla who's avoiding the arguing duo for now.” **  
  
** “Arguing?” Andrew frowned, “Is everything okay?” **  
  
** “Peachy,” Kyla announced as she climbed into the front passenger seat. “They fight all the time, it's part of their relationship. Well, it's more Steph snips at Tom, and he just listens until he's done, kisses her, and gets her off whatever topic has been bugging her. She's currently annoyed he still acts like we're in high school when he chases her like that.” **  
  
** “So Kyla is avoiding the snipping and subsequent make-out session,” Rosemary finished as she moved to the backseat  
**  
** “Yup, I've made my quota for the decade already,” Kyla agreed as Sasha got settled in the driver's seat. **  
  
** “I made my quota for life before graduating high school,” Sasha muttered. **  
  
** “That bad?” Andrew looked at her after shutting the van door and getting himself settled. **  
  
** “Far as I was concerned,” Sasha shrugged. “Okay, Kyla you're in charge of tunes. No religious though,” she shot a quick look at the blonde as she turned the car on. **  
  
** “After knowing each other since middle school, I _do_ know you don't appreciate the religious music any more than Rosemary does nowadays,” Kyla voiced with a frown. **  
  
** “Tell that to Stephanie, she's still sending me music digitally,” Sasha shrugged. “And I'm sorry, Steph has me on edge already.” **  
  
** “Deep breaths, coffee is coming, and musicals,” Kyla smiled as she messed with the iPod plugged into a portable speaker. **  
  
** “Thanks, Ky,” Sasha spoke before pulling out and heading for their first stop. **  
  
** “I think I'm missing important information,” Andrew spoke in her ear as Mamma Mia began to play. **  
  
** “Sasha has always been what a lot of people consider pagan. I accepted her as she is from day one. Kyla and Steph tried to get her to come to church with us, going to show her 'the way'. Ky got over that theory by the end of eighth grade, Steph is a more interesting story. She likes Sasha, a lot, but she has it in her head if we don't convert at least once, we won't get into heaven. Her family was... a little kooky," she shrugged, "So she's still trying to get Sasha to accept Christ. She's annoyed _I_ have left the church, but at least I repented once, _I'll_ still get to heaven in her opinion.” **  
  
** “I see,” he nodded slowly. **  
  
** “It's okay to not see,” she countered. “It's one of Stephanie's more annoying personality quirks. She makes up for it in loyalty and comedic value.” **  
  
** “Is she going to quiz me about my upbringing?” **  
  
** “Not on your first visit,” Kyla spoke up with a smile. **  
  
** “Can't promise you'll escape forever. Might be easier to mention in passing to Tom, he'll relay to Steph and you'll avoid twenty questions,” Sasha added as she pulled into Raley's parking lot. **  
  
** “Tom is just as much a believer, heck he studied religion and philosophy at Stanford,” Rosemary explained as they parked. “He doesn't think it's our job to save everyone, merely to be a source of answers for those who choose to ask.” **  
  
** “My favorite kind of Christian, the ones that live life and listen to that part about judging.” **  
  
** “Thank you,” Kyla smiled at Sasha. **  
  
** “You know I include you in that group,” Sasha laughed. “So am I getting usuals?” **  
  
** “Yup.” **  
  
** “Please,” Rosemary sighed. **  
  
** “You don’t know my usual…” Andrew pointed out. **  
  
** “Which is why I was about to ask what you wanted Mr. Johnson,” Sasha explained as she turned in her seat to look at him. **  
  
** “Chai tea latte, any size,” he answered, shifting to get his wallet. **  
  
** “Put it away, Drew, you'll have earned it by end of setup,” Sasha called as she climbed out of the vehicle. “Lock up people, and someone better get my Funyuns.” **  
  
** Andrew just turned his head to look at Rosemary, shaking his head. **  
  
** “Welcome to the family love,” she chuckled while patting his knee a couple times, “Come on, let's go get breakfast and the crazy one her Funyuns,” she added before rising and heading for the door Kyla had opened for them. **  
  
** “She didn't mention breakfast food…” Andrew frowned as he followed her out of the van. **  
  
** “That's cause Sasha and Rosemary have the same breakfast food every time we take a trip,” Stephanie spoke as she joined them. **  
  
** “And that is?” he asked as they approached the store. **  
  
** “Cream Horn, goat cheese and pears, and a croissant,” Rosemary smiled, turning once inside, after grabbing a cart, to head towards the deli. **  
  
** “Goat cheese and pears sounds good,” Andrew nodded. **  
  
** “Oh god, you’re one of them aren’t you, you eat that scary goat cheese…” Stephanie wrinkled her nose. “I’m going to grab breakfast for Tom and I, meet you guys at the chips,” she voiced before walking the other direction, “Oh, and get the spinach dip!” she called back. **  
  
** “I’ll leave you with the cart if you don’t mind,” Kyla looked between Rosemary and Andrew, “I’ll go grab my breakfast stuff too.” **  
  
** “Go for it,” Rosemary smiled at her friend as they stopped by the cheeses. “If you want, you can go look for stuff as well, love,” she looked over at Andrew as she stepped over to get a package of honey goat cheese. **  
  
** “I’m fine staying with you, I figured I’d check out the muffins, maybe get a banana or something, so both places you’re headed right?” he asked with a smile. **  
  
** “Right,” she shook her head, “You get the cart for the moment then, I move faster without it.” **  
  
** Andrew shook his head, taking over the cart and following as she grabbed various dips and tossed them in the cart, as well as a package of blue cheese. They made their way over to the baked goods, where he got a package of banana nut muffins while she picked up the croissants. **  
  
** “So stealing one of those tomorrow,” she voiced with a smile. **  
  
** “Figured, after you stole half of mine in London,” he chuckled as he put it in the cart. “Where to now?” **  
  
** “Meet the others in chips, I'll join you there in a couple. Take center aisle, it's just a couple away on your right.” **  
  
** “Okay,” he nodded, following directions while she darted down a different aisle.  
  
Grabbing Pocky, she made her way over to get Oreos, then headed to join them, finding them debating over chip types. Shaking her head, she slipped between the line of three and the aisle, grabbing Doritos, Funyuns, Tostitos, Cheetos, and a bag of her favorite white cheddar popcorn. Tossing them in the cart she turned to look at the four, Andrew blinking at her with a look of surprise while the girls were shaking their heads. **  
  
** “There are six of us, we will eat a lot of chips, stop trying to limit us to three types,” she rolled her eyes at their silliness before turning to head down the aisle. “Someone get the sour cream and cheddar ruffles and I will meet you in produce,” she called back before heading for the organic aisle to grab a bag of root veggie chips. **  
  
** “Corn is on sale,” Kyla spoke as she joined them in the produce section a few minutes later. **  
  
** “Oooo,” she shared a grin with the other woman, “Hey Steph, did we pack foil?” **  
  
** “Yeah,” Stephanie answered from where she was getting red potatoes. “Why else am I getting potatoes?" **  
  
** “Go grab a small thing of powdered parmesan, please,” Rosemary looked at her as she put the potatoes in the cart **  
  
** “I hate you,” Stephanie muttered before going back to the potatoes. **  
  
** “Parmesan?” Andrew asked as she started checking the pears. **  
  
** “Sasha puts butter and parmesan on her corn. Tom fell in love with it years ago thanks to her. It drives Steph crazy,” she explained as she bagged pears. “You like anything on your corn besides butter and salt or pepper?” she asked, looking up at him. **  
  
** “Nope, I just use butter so I'm good.” **  
  
** “Okay,” she nodded, “Can you grab bananas and anything else that looks good to you?” **  
  
** “Sure,” he agreed, walking off to get the bananas as Kyla came over with the cart now that she had finished getting corn. **  
  
** “Usual fruits?” **  
  
** “Of course,” Rosemary smiled at her friend. “Steph, grab limes.” **  
  
** “Margaritas?” Stephanie asked hopefully. **  
  
** “Keep dreaming,” Kyla called back as she began picking nectarines. **  
  
** “Brats,” Stephanie muttered but went on with shopping, grabbing limes then heading for the aisle that had the parmesan. **  
  
** “She worships the quicksand we walk on,” she whispered to Kyla who snorted back a laugh. **  
  
** “Who’s walking on quicksand?” Andrew looked between them, eyebrows raised. **  
  
** “No one, technically. It’s an old joke about how Steph loves us even though we annoy her. You ever seen the movie Steel Magnolias?” Kyla asked as she worked. **  
  
** “Once, a long, _long_ time ago,” Andrew shrugged, “Why?” **  
  
** “There’s a line in it, where one woman says another of the group can never stay mad at her because she worships the quicksand she walks on. We started joking Steph worships the quicksand we walk on when we were sophomores.” **  
  
** “Ahh,” Andrew nodded, “I see.” **  
  
** “Got the stupid parmesan, we ready to go yet?” Stephanie asked as she walked up. **  
  
** “I’m good,” Kyla shrugged. **  
  
** “Got everything you want?” Rosemary looked at Andrew, seeing his nod she looked at the other two, “Good.” **  
  
** “Thank God, I want to get on the road already,” Stephanie grumbled as she headed towards checkout. **  
  
** “Why don’t you guys head back to the car, let Tom and Sasha know we’re on our way, and we’ll get the stuff,” Andrew suggested as they found a line to wait in. **  
  
** “Cool, let me give you the cash for my part,” Stephanie started getting into her purse. **  
  
** “Nope,” Andrew spoke quickly, “My treat.” **  
  
** “Really?” Kyla looked between him and Rosemary. Rosemary just shrugged, staying out of this one. “Thanks,” she added after he nodded. **  
  
** “You’ve been looking for a way to pitch-in to all this haven’t you?” Rosemary asked after Stephanie gave her thanks and the two women left. **  
  
** “I was informed by Sasha that the trip was already paid for, in terms of location and such, when I tried to offer. So _yes_ , I’ve been looking for a way to pitch in.” **  
  
** “If I tried to argue I should get to pitch-in for the same reason you are?” she quirked one eyebrow at him. **  
  
** “Figure out a different purchase to cover,” he smirked as they started unloading the cart. **  
  
** “Brat,” she muttered, but couldn’t help the grin that graced her face just the same. **  
  
** “You know you love me,” Andrew winked as he turned to put the peaches and plums on the conveyor belt. **  
  
** “Yeah, yeah,” Rosemary muttered, before smiling as they worked in tandem. It was amazing, having someone who loved her, that she loved, and could finally make all these silly ‘couple jokes’ with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Rosemary got to meet Andrew's family, and now Andrew gets a chance to really meet Rosemary's circle of friends... He may not have a clue what he's getting in to...


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A camping they will go, a camping they will go...

**:-:-:-:-:-:  
****Chapter 10  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Saturday, May 27** **th** **, 2017  
****Bodega Bay, California  
****4:18 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** They had escaped the store, meeting out at the van and Tom's car where Rosemary had set to work with Kyla and Steph, dividing things up between the two cars while Sasha had handed him two venti chai lattes to keep track of.  
  
He had merely grinned at her when she rolled her eyes about the groceries. **  
  
** Breakfast items were divided up between their respective cars, and they got on the road as soon as people were in their proper vehicle. **  
  
** He watched in mild amusement while eating his muffin, as Rosemary commandeered the table so she could cut pears and goat cheese, arranging slices on two plates. One was passed to Kyla to hold for Sasha, and while he thought she was distracted, he stole a slice from her plate, curious about the combination. He earned a smack on the hand for his efforts, but she just rolled her eyes and made more after he declared it was good. **  
  
** They spent a few hours on the road, the three women singing along to the radio as they wound their way to and up the coast. Andrew just smiled, quietly watching the interactions between Rosemary and two of her oldest friends. He couldn't help remembering when it was Mary and her ladies, and while he _knew_ Mary had loved all of her ladies equally, he knew she had always been closer to Aylee and Greer. He was noticing the same ease with Sasha and Kyla she had with Aylee and Greer. Stephanie reminded him more of Kenna, good-hearted, but too obsessed with something else. Kenna had obsessed over wealth, standing, whereas from the sound of things Stephanie focused on religious beliefs. **  
  
** By midmorning, they were at Wright's Beach. **  
  
** After unloading Tom's car, Stephanie left to drive it to the parking lot since they were only allowed one vehicle at the campsite, while he and Tom were given the task of setting up the two tents, one that was an add-on to the van connecting to the side with the door, the other a two-person they were setting up near the front of the van.  
  
The remaining women were just as busy, Sasha and Rosemary in the van while Kyla worked near the back of the van closer to the beach setting up chairs around a metal fire pit. Andrew had been surprised when he saw the inside of the van, as he poked his head in to tell them the tent was up that connected to the van. The ceiling, he had learned on the way up was a pop-up, and they had fixed the full bed up there, and apparently, the seat he and Rosemary had shared was also a full bed, which they had laid down. He couldn't help being mildly amazed at the efficiency with which the two were working, as Sasha was arranging pillows on the lower bed, the upper bed already ready to go, while Rosemary was organizing cabinets and tables. On top of that, the passenger seat from the front was now facing the back.  
  
"Huh,” Andrew murmured as he went back out to rejoin Tom so they could do the second tent.  
  
"What?” Tom asked, looking up from the tent's bag.  
  
"I think I need one of these, it’s amazing for camping."  
  
"Oh yeah, we were _ecstatic_ when Sasha inherited her Grandmother's,” Tom grinned. “Good luck though, I looked into one and getting one like Sasha's closer to twenty grand. Of course, you can get models with less bells and whistles, or that had more wear and tear for less.” **  
  
** “This one has extras? They aren't all this way?” Andrew quizzed while they worked on the tent **  
  
** “Nah, not all have the pop-up, and normally it looks like the pop-up was a place for a cot from what I've seen. Tents weren't standard either.” **  
  
** “My Grandparents went to Germany in the 70s to get my baby, got all the extras available that year practically,” Sasha spoke, drawing his attention to where she stood outside the van’s tent. “They traveled Europe with it for a year or so, then had it brought back to America. They spent the early 80s traveling the country until Pops died, at which point my Grandmother stuck around home more. Probably more to see me grow up I imagine, but every summer she’d go on a beach trip with her. Pops kept her in great shape while he was alive, and Grandma kept her well tended, so I got lucky with her. I don’t have a safe place to keep her at the house, nor do I want to use her for daily use, so I pull her out for camping and going to faires, or if I have to leave town for a farmer’s market.” **  
  
** “That’s why I had so much trouble finding you,” Andrew smirked. **  
  
** Sasha laughed, “No, sadly I wasn’t taking my baby on any trips when you were hanging around my house like a stalker. I was just traveling via local transit, or occasionally getting rides from another vendor.” **  
  
** “Should I be wary that my boyfriend was stalking my housemate?” Rosemary stuck her head out of the tent and asked with a grin. **  
  
** “Pretty strange if you ask me,” Stephanie answered as she walked up to the site. **  
  
** Andrew rolled his eyes, “You know full well I was stalking _her_ to try to find _you_.” **  
  
** “So he was really stalking Rosemary, got it,” Stephanie nodded. “You know, there's a _name_ for that dating your stalker thing.” **  
  
** “Don't you _dare_ say it,” Rosemary glared at the raven-haired woman. **  
  
** “Twilight?” Kyla asked with a grin. **  
  
** “I can accept that one,” Rosemary shook her head. “I prefer the idea of love, and he was desperate to apologize, just saying,” she added before disappearing back inside the van's tent. “Someone get the folding table!” echoed back out. **  
  
** “Why do I think I missed something?” Andrew glanced at Tom as Kyla brought the folding table to the other tent. **  
  
** “Steph likes teasing Rosemary about how much some Disney movies are really bad, like Beauty and the Beast is Stockholm Syndrome,” Tom explained with a shrug. **  
  
** “As you can imagine with Rosemary's love of Disney, that doesn't often go over well. Steph doesn't like Disney all that much, thinks it's great for kids but finds it odd that Rosemary still loves it just as much as an adult and hasn't let Rosemary be since.” **  
  
** “Don't take this wrong, especially as she's _your_ girl,” Andrew began slowly, quietly so only Tom could hear since the four girls had returned to working elsewhere, “but I'm a little lost as to _how_ their friendship works.” **  
  
** “You heard about my love’s quirks I take it,” Tom looked over the tent at him. “She is a bit more religious than I am, and she can be very opinionated. She’s also _incredibly_ loyal, and you might not realize it from what little you’ve seen, she cares a great deal about Rose. All of us do.” **  
  
** “Can’t say as I blame you for that,” Andrew nodded. “Rosemary doesn’t talk about high school much, well she hadn’t prior to our time apart,” he corrected himself. “Since March, we’ve had school and time zone issues interrupting chance to talk about anything beyond school and current life. Did you all know each other before high school?” **  
  
** “The girls did,” Tom began as they finished staking the tent down. “Stephanie moved to Fairfield between elementary and middle school, ended up at the same school as Rosemary and Kyla who had been in the same class since second grade. Sasha was at the same middle school, a year ahead of the others. Rosemary took algebra in seventh-grade with Sasha, how she met the group. I met them Freshman year, got pulled into the group with a few others that joined the circle that year. The dynamics between the girls had changed during eighth-grade a bit from what I had explained later, Stephanie and Kyla became closer while Sasha and Rosemary formed a real bond. Not that the three weren’t still great friends mind you," he paused, looked at Andrew with a look that spoke volumes, though Andrew wasn't entirely sure what Tom was trying to convey. "When everything came out Freshman year, I figured out pretty quick what had led to Sasha and Rosemary being closer, Stephanie was upset for a bit, that Rosemary hadn’t trusted them, but she got over it.” **  
  
** Andrew frowned, “Wait, did _anyone_ know what was happening to her?” **  
  
** “Sasha figured it out the tail end of Rosemary’s seventh-grade year. She spent all of the trio's eighth-grade year trying to convince Rosemary to tell someone," Tom shook his head. "Took til Thanksgiving during Freshman year for Rosemary to break and tell the school counselor what was happening, as she was terrified about the upcoming Christmas break. Ms. Jefferson reported it of course, and Rosemary was put into the system until they concluded the investigation and proved that Maryanne knew nothing about it. She managed to contact Sasha, from her foster home, told Sasha to let us know what was going on. Sasha told her grandmother who was a foster mom, and she fought to get Rosemary in her placement until things got sorted out.” **  
  
** “How long did it take?” Andrew asked with a frown. **  
  
** “Until January,” Tom sighed heavily. “Lorenzo was trying to claim Maryanne knew, so they had to do a full investigation into Maryanne. Rosemary denied her mother being involved but admittedly couldn’t say for sure her mother had no knowledge. To be honest to this day I don’t know how Maryanne could have _not_ realized something was wrong with her husband, unless you accept the story that he was emotionally and psychologically abusive to Maryanne,” Tom shook his head again. **  
  
** “You don’t?” he asked curiously. He knew most of this should be coming from Rosemary perhaps, but he couldn’t help the curiosity about how things looked to her friends, especially another guy. **  
  
** “To be honest, I know we’re supposed to forgive and all, but I can’t quite bring myself to _like_ Maryanne Douglas. I never did throughout high school and that hasn’t changed in the last four years. I wouldn’t say she _doesn’t_ love her daughter, she just has never _acted_ like any other mother I know. She treats Rosemary like a sister or best friend, and in some ways that may not be considered a bad thing, except when Rosemary needed a ‘mom’ Maryanne wasn’t there. And even if she _didn’t_ see what was happening to Rosemary, how could she have stayed in a relationship with someone who had an _obvious_ issue putting his family first, _and_ we later all learned had a drug issue that Maryanne knew about. Yet, she stayed with him…" he paused, sighed and shook his head, "Doesn’t help that now she’s trying to be some sort of advocate to tell people what the statistics are, and that you should make sure you talk to your girls, yadda yadda yadda.” **  
  
** “Rosemary keeps telling me it won’t be so bad, meeting her mom,” Andrew voiced with a frown, “I’m continuingly thinking I’m not going to have many good feelings for this woman.” **  
  
** “Well, you can always bitch about her to me,” Tom offered with a grin. “As much as I can talk and explain things from back then, we should probably go see what other jobs they have for us. Avoid getting in trouble for slacking.” **  
  
** “True,” Andrew agreed, though he made a mental note to get Tom's info so they could talk later. The two shared a last look and then heading back towards the van. **  
  
** “Okay ladies, tents are up, what's our next mission?” **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Saturday, May 27** **th** **, 2017  
****Bodega Bay, California  
****9:43 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “So really, how are you surviving the gang?” Rosemary asked as they walked along the beach. **  
  
** Andrew smiled, and bent slightly so he could kiss the side of her head, “I'm surviving just fine.” **  
  
** “Really?” she looked at him skeptically. “You didn't look all that happy when you and Tom finished tents, your smile probably fooled the others just fine, but I _know_ your tell…” she trailed off remembering stormy eyes when she stuck her head out to tell them they were just finishing up the last folding chairs in the tent and were thinking of starting lunch, so all they needed to do was set up the yoga mats and sleeping bags in the tent. **  
  
** Andrew frowned, then sighed as the frown fell away, “Honestly, Tom had been telling me a bit about what he knew of how the four of you girls became friends and his opinion about what happened. Not a lot of details, it was more his impression of your mom that had me annoyed.” **  
  
** “Oh,” she spoke softly, stealing a glance up at him a moment later. “We should start talking about those things huh, now that I'm back stateside.” **  
  
** Andrew looked down at her, reaching up to place his free hand over hers that rested in the crook of his arm. “We should,” he agreed, “but we don't have to start on a camping trip with your friends.” **  
  
** “So we do this via email?” she challenged lightly. “I go back to Santa Cruz next week, then after graduation, I need to work on getting settled in Irvine before classes start which isn't much time. I don't imagine we are going to have a lot of time together to talk.” **  
  
** “I don't have anything going on in San Francisco, I can easily come to stay in Santa Cruz until your graduation. Bonus being we are already together to drive to Long Beach next weekend for the party.” **  
  
** “Seriously?” Rosemary looked up at him, “Do you realize the cost of hotels in Santa Cruz? Never mind,” she continued after the look he gave her, as she remembered who she was talking to. “I won't say no to the idea,” she continued after a few minutes of silence while she considered his idea, “it would be nice to have some time just the two of us before I have to go to Irvine and you go to Long Beach.” **  
  
** “My thoughts exactly,” Andrew smiled. **  
  
** “You're crazy, you know that?” she asked with a laugh. **  
  
** “Oh, I've got crazier ideas,” he chuckled. "I'll have Sasha drop me off in Vallejo on the way to Santa Cruz, and join you at the latest Wednesday.” **  
  
** “Sounds good,” she nodded, letting his comment about crazier ideas lie. She was mildly concerned about his crazier ideas... **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Sunday, May 28** **th** **, 2017  
****Bodega Bay, California  
****5:50 a.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “Thought I would find you here.” **  
  
** Rosemary looked up at the sound if her friend’s voice, “Morning Ky,” she smiled at the blonde, before focusing back out on the waves creeping towards shore. **  
  
** “You know, I hear the sunrises are more amazing on the east coast.” **  
  
** “Just because the sun is rising behind us doesn't mean it's not as beautiful as when you're watching it facing the sunrise,” she countered as Kyla sunk down to the sand next to her. **  
  
** “Very true,” Kyla agreed. “So, how are you?” **  
  
** “Good,” she answered automatically, taking the full shoulder body bump that followed her answer in stride. “Alright, I've been better, _but_ I've also been worse, so, I'm good,” she corrected herself. **  
  
** “Rosey Posey, I've known you since we were seven. After seventeen years, don't you know you _can't_ lie to me?” Kyla asked eyebrows raised as she stared Rosemary down. **  
  
** “Haven't called me Rosey Posey in a few years either,” she looked at the blonde evenly, “times five.” **  
  
** “Yeah, well you haven't tried to hide from me since we _were_ nine,” Kyla countered. “Tell me you’re good all you want, I know you better.” **  
  
** She sighed and looked back out at the water, she should have known this was coming from one of them, she was more than grateful it was Kyla. “I've been better, and I'm _getting_ better.” **  
  
** “Losing that man really screwed you up didn't it?” Kyla asked softly. **  
  
** “It wasn't just Andrew,” she argued quickly. “I was dealing with other stuff, told him to go away until he was sure he could handle how screwed up I am.” **  
  
** “Took him long enough.” She sent the blonde a look that had Kyla raising her hands in surrender, “Come on Rosemary, two _years_?” **  
  
** “Two years during which his kid sister got cancer, and he spent half a year looking for me in San Francisco and half a year hanging around the house while Sasha was doing markets and Faires. Give the man a break.” **  
  
** “I am, or he _wouldn't_ be here,” Kyla countered gently, diffusing most of the hostility Rosemary had been gathering. **  
  
** “I know,” Rosemary sighed, sending her friend an apologetic glance. “Andrew has been so supportive, but that time without him wasn't easy. And mostly, it had _nothing_ to do with him,” she began, paused to take a deep breath, “I'm going back into therapy once I'm settled in Irvine.” **  
  
** Kyla's head swung towards her from where she had been looking out at the changing colors over the water, “Oh Rosemary, you _hated_ therapy.” **  
  
** “I know,” she agreed simply. “I pulled away because I didn't want to admit how bad I was... I'm getting lost in memories, losing time… my anxieties have been slowly getting worse too. Everyone thought I was just a _massive_ bookworm in Brighton, and the work was hard don't get me wrong,” she added quickly, glancing at Kyla to find green eyes watching her with concern, no pity though. “I didn't like being around large crowds in general or leaving the house unless it was for classes or on my terms. My housemates were great, and I don't regret my Spring Break trips, but I didn't do a third of the travel and such the others did, it was too much.” **  
  
** “And you didn't have us to force you out of the house to discover you could have fun, so you stayed home listening to the fears,” Kyla spoke sadly. “You _should_ have said something Rosemary, we could have been there however possible, _especially_ when you were at Santa Cruz,” she continued gently, reaching out to grasp her hand. **  
  
** Rosemary smiled, gave Kyla's hand a squeeze, "Well, you know me,” she shrugged. **  
  
** “Yeah,” Kyla nodded, “You're the first to hide how bad you're doing to protect everyone around you. You really _need_ to stop that shit,” she shot another look Rosemary's way. **  
  
** “Well, if it's any consolation, I don't get away with it with him,” Rosemary offered with a small shrug. **  
  
** “Good. _Someone_ should be able to call you on your bs,” Kyla smirked. **  
  
** “Here I thought you three liked to claim it was _your_ job,” she teased. **  
  
** “Yes, well we have to pass the torch eventually,” Kyla shrugged. **  
  
** “Does that mean you approve?” Rosemary turned her head to look at her friend. **  
  
** “Do you honestly need _my_ approval of the man you love?” Kyla countered. **  
  
** “No,” she agreed with a shrug, "It's nice to know you're okay with him though." **  
  
** Kyla chuckled, “Oh, he survived Hand and Foot with us last night, and put up with crashing in a tent with Tom. He flew all the way to England to make amends with you and takes you to musicals. How could I _not_ be okay with him?” **  
  
** “I'm taking that as a sign you approve,” Rosemary laughed. “You can't just be simple can you?” **  
  
** “Nope,” Kyla agreed with a grin. “So, I'm going to go steal one of those chairs by the firepit and read. You enjoy your sunrise.” **  
  
** “Enjoy your book,” Rosemary smiled up at her friend as the blonde stood. **  
  
** “How could I not, I'm rereading Frodo,” Kyla winked, then turned to walk back to their campsite, "Don't worry, I'll deal with Steph,” she called back. **  
  
** “Thank you,” Rosemary called after her, silently thankful for her friends, even if they did drive her crazy. **  
  
** She was still sitting there, having watched the full sunrise and was now watching the sky change to a bright sky blue, when another body dropped down next to her. Glancing to her side, she smiled before leaning against the familiar frame. “Good morning.” **  
  
** “Good morning,” Andrew answered as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. “How long have you been up?” **  
  
** “Since before sunrise,” she shrugged, “No clue what that translates to in minutes and hours.” **  
  
** “I see,” he nodded slowly, “And you left me to trying to sleep with the trainwreck that is your friend?” he sent her a mock look of hurt. **  
  
** She laughed outright, “We've _all_ had to put up with Tom's snoring at some point. You'll adjust,” she grinned up at him. **  
  
** “Don't know how Stephanie puts up with it,” Andrew shook his head. **  
  
** “They don't live together,” she answered with a shrug. **  
  
** “Really?” he looked down at her in surprise, “Haven't they been together since high school?” **  
  
** “Seven years,” she confirmed. “Until they get married, they won't live together.” **  
  
** “Are they engaged?” he frowned, confusion etching his face. **  
  
** “Nope,” she popped the 'p', “Tom has a ring, but hasn't figured out the perfect time yet. Don't tell Steph though,” she added quickly. **  
  
** Andrew nodded slowly, “So is it a Stephanie and Tom quirk, the no living together until marriage?” **  
  
** “You mean cause plenty of people do nowadays?” she looked up at him, saw his nod, “It's part of the teachings of the church. And as previously discussed, Steph is rather uber-religious. I think her Dad would castrate Tom is they decided to live together before they were married...” she smiled when she felt him shudder, “Bonus to no father figure, only protective male I got in my life _is_ Tom,” she chuckled. **  
  
** “So, no one will threaten my manhood if I suggested us moving in together down at some point,” he ventured after a few moments. **  
  
** “Well, my mom _might_ have your head. She's very against me living with my significant other unless we are planning to get married, then she'll agree.” **  
  
** Andrew was silent for a few minutes, then shifted so he could look down at her, “Rosemary, be honest with me...” **  
  
** “About?” she asked, shifting so she could fully look at him too, not dropping her gaze from his no matter how much her heart was racing at the idea of some sort of confrontation. **  
  
** “The more I hear about your mom, the more I'm _pretty_ sure she and I are going to have some serious issues. I _know_ you keep telling me she's harmless, but I think I need to have a better understanding of what I'm going into here. Otherwise, I might not be able to hold my tongue, and I know you _aren't_ going to want me going off on your mom if I can help it.” **  
  
** She sighed, glanced out at the water before focusing back on him, part of her wanting to just ignore how crazy things with her mom were. “Mom is _very_ overprotective, she had this game plan for my life _before_ everything came out, and after... well the protective nature tripled,” she began before raising her hand to count off the three-part plan. “I wasn't supposed to date until I was sixteen, no marriage until _after_ college, and conversely no living with a guy until I was at least engaged, preferably married,” she glanced up at him, seeing the tint of grey to his eyes before looking away quickly. “She didn't want me making the same mistakes she made, _not_ that she considers me a mistake, but she doesn't want to see me end up a single mom in my early twenties as she did.” **  
  
** “So, there's a _good_ chance she won't like me because of the last two years,” he asked carefully. **  
  
** She nodded, “I told Kyla that I sent you away until you had a chance to truly process what being with me meant, because of my problems. Then pointed out you had your sister get sick, spent half a year looking for me in SF and half a year on Sasha's doorstep practically trying to find me, so it _wasn't_ like it took you two years to figure things out.” **  
  
** “No, it only took six months of being an idiot,” he countered before she reached up and smacked his bicep. “I can completely admit I _was_ an idiot Rosemary, you _can't_ get mad for that,” he shot her a look. **  
  
** She shrugged, “No beating yourself up.” **  
  
** “No offering _yourself_ as the sacrificial lamb,” Andrew argued, “Your phrasing makes it sound like you're trying to take _all_ the blame from me. And I deserve a _decent_ part of the blame for us being apart. I'll admit a large portion is due to chance, but _I'm_ the one that walked away instead of trying to understand where you were coming from.” **  
  
** “ _I'm_ the one that told you to stay away until you could accept my belief in the impossible, we are _both_ to blame for you leaving that day,” she pointed out simply. **  
  
** “Fair enough,” he agreed after a minute. **  
  
** “She will like you, you know,” Rosemary began after a few minutes of companionable silence. “You make me happy, you try to take care of me when I let you, _and_ you have a good career path and a stable situation. Everything she ever wanted for the man I would spend my life with.” **  
  
** Andrew snorted against her hair, “Your mom really had your life figured out didn't she?” **  
  
** “Yup,” she agreed, snuggling closer to him. **  
  
** “At least she didn't pick your husband like Marie did.” **  
  
** “I think that worked rather well,” she argued with a smile. **  
  
** “True,” he nodded against her scalp. “What would she have done if you were gay?” **  
  
** Rosemary looked up at him, surprised by the question, though she had to smile at the adorable look of perplexion on his face, “Oh, she figured that out when I was a teenager, 'considering my childhood, it could make sense if I chose to be gay because I couldn't deal with men',” she quoted. **  
  
** Andrew blinked, then looked down at her, “Your mom does know it's _usually_ not a choice right?” **  
  
** “I do not know,” she admitted. “She's not as bad as Steph, but she is pretty religious. She tours churches and schools talking about the statistics and what to look for to spot abuse, gives her story, etcetera,” she rolled her eyes per habit. **  
  
** “I heard from Tom,” Andrew half-muttered. **  
  
** She stole a glance, not liking the dark gray of his eyes one bit, “Okay, new topic. Breakfast!” she announced before moving to stand up and brush the sand off her legs and dress. **  
  
** “What about breakfast?” Andrew asked as he looked up at her. **  
  
** “It's time for breakfast, though I suggest you go hang out with Kyla while I wake Steph.” **  
  
** “Your friend is sounding crazier by the day love,” he chuckled as he stood and brushed his own collection of sand away. **  
  
** “She grows on you,” Rosemary grinned, “Bonus, she dislikes my mom more than Tom, she'll probably give you coffee and chocolate cake anytime you want to go visit and complain.” **  
  
** “Well, that's something,” he nodded before offering his arm so they could walk back. **  
  
** “And she has a great collection of Beatles records,” she added with a grin. **  
  
** “Really?” Andrew looked down at her, and she had to fight giggles at how much he looked like a little boy at that moment.  
  
She still remembered that look on his face when he asked her to marry him on the grounds of Fontainebleau.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it was a productive day for Rosemary and Andrew, campsite got set up, Andrew learned some of the craziness the gang can get up to, and got insight from a guy's view into Rosemary's past.
> 
> Who knows that the new day will bring...


	12. Chapter 11

**:-:-:-:-:-:  
****Chapter 11  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Sunday, May 28** **th** **, 2017  
****Bodega Bay, California  
****10:08 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** “Fashion show,” Sasha smirked as she put down her wild card. **  
  
** “I hate you,” Stephanie grumbled as she tried to stand without losing her 'hat’ that was normally a picnic basket. **  
  
** “Moo,” Rosemary added, conveying severe annoyance in her expression and how she drew the ‘o’ sound out. **  
  
** Andrew couldn't help chuckling as Tom just shrugged and got up to join the two women while Kyla was pulling out her phone to record the latest runway show. “I have got to get this game for my parents,” he looked over at Sasha. **  
  
** “Isn't it a blast?” she grinned. **  
  
** He had been skeptical when he heard the games they would be playing, who could blame him though with names like mad 'cow’ and hand and foot. Hand and Foot had turned out to be a lot like canasta, and great fun. He had been paired with Rosemary against Sasha and Kyla, and Tom and Stephanie. They had spent several hours shuffling insane amounts of cards, seven decks worth, and eating munchies while chatting about anything under the sun as they played. This evening they had pulled out Mad Quao, and he had just looked at them when they explained it was pronounced 'cow’, which had only made semi-sense when he saw how the donkey’s name was pronounced with a French twist to avoid using a swear word. **  
  
** It wasn't until they started having to do crazy things while playing, that he had understood the true beauty of the game. Watching Stephanie try to do an accent was hilarious with her pitiful attempts, and he knew he would never forget the sight of Tom trying to dance with his head on the table. **  
  
** “Ready,” Tom called before the tent to the side of the van opened and the other man emerged with a pot on his head and a blanket draped around him like a toga. **  
  
** “Oh my God,” Sasha muttered, trying not to laugh as Tom strutted around like he was Caesar. Stephanie came out with a piece of driftwood as a cane and had stolen one of Rosemary's shawls to wrap around her head and shoulders, somehow with the picnic basket hat still in place, as she hobbled along bent half over, yet stopping every few feet to strike a pose. Then Rosemary appeared, balancing a glass on her head, turning in perfect circles along the same path the other two had taken, on her toes while waving a ribbon like a rhythm gymnast. **  
  
** “ _How_ does she do that?” Andrew stared at her in amazement. **  
  
** “We have _never_ known,” Sasha admitted. **  
  
** He nodded, tuning out Stephanie who was declaring Rosemary a show off teasingly, while the three returned to the van to put things away. A mental image of Mary dancing endless circles and not getting dizzy flashed through his mind, and he made a note to ask if she had training in this life or if that perfect balance was another throwback to their past life. **  
  
** “Rosemary wins,” Sasha announced once everyone was back, and both women got to throw out a card. **  
  
** The game continued for another half hour, during which Kyla delivered a rap for her wild, and Rosemary ended up having to purr and rub her head against him like a cat to get her wild since she was Cheeta’ and he was Quao. He couldn't help being amused at the pink coloring the tips of her ears as her friends teased them over the whole thing.  
  
In the end, Stephanie declared she was done, and the game was packed up, Stephanie and Tom heading to walk along the beach while Sasha and Kyla headed to bed.  
  
He helped Rosemary move the table back into the tent add-on where it lived during the night, and they folded the chairs back up to stash them away for the night as well. When he finished moving the last chair, he stepped out to find her staring off towards the water with a blanket and battery-powered lamp in hand. **  
  
** “Going somewhere?” **  
  
** “Come walk with me,” she answered, holding out her free hand. **  
  
** “Of course,” he agreed in an instant, taking her hand and pulling it into the crook of his arm. “Anywhere in particular?” he asked curiously as they moved away from the campsite. **  
  
** “I have this one favorite spot,” Rosemary explained as she led the way. **  
  
** “You guys come here a lot don't you?” **  
  
** “Alice used to bring us here every summer in high school. Sasha's Grandmother,” she added quickly. “Mom wasn't thrilled I was so close to her, but I loved those summer trips, and she couldn't find a reason I couldn't go, you know?” **  
  
** “Yeah,” he agreed, mentally noting one more reason to find annoyance with Maryanne Douglas. “Alice seems like she was a pretty great lady.” **  
  
** “Alice was _amazing_ ,” Rosemary smiled, and he noted the light in her face and voice he never heard when she spoke of her mother. “She had tea for breakfast every day, with scones and homemade curds or jams. Sasha learned everything she knows about canning from Alice, she'd recruit both of us to help in high school. She could knit a sweater in a day while watching British mystery shows. She taught both of us how to crochet, but I was the only one that could get the hang of knitting.” **  
  
** “She sounds pretty special,” Andrew watched her as she rambled off things about Sasha’s grandmother, remembering when she would talk about some of the nuns this way. **  
  
** “She was,” she agreed quietly, shadows filling her eyes. **  
  
** “How long has she been gone?” he asked carefully as they navigated the beach. **  
  
** “She died April of my Senior year, so it's been four years now,” Rosemary glanced out at the horizon before looking back at him, “She left everything to Sasha, much to the annoyance of other family members.” **  
  
** “I bet that cause issues,” he agreed, wondering if the shadows in her eyes were simply talk of Alice or something else. **  
  
** “Help me put the blanket out?” she asked a few minutes later, and he took a quick glance around the quiet stretch of beach they were at. Within two minutes the blanket was stretched out far enough from the water it wouldn't have issues as the tide came in, and she had set the lantern up near a corner so it gave off a bright glow, the two of them settled on the blanket so she faced the water while he was slightly turned towards her. **  
  
** Something about her faraway expression kept him quiet. **  
  
** “This place was always so peaceful, a refuge when I was a teenager dealing with all the drama of high school, my own issues, the craziness of my Mother,” she began after some time had passed. “I know we won't get through everything,” she paused and tilted her head to the side, “I have a feeling if we make things work like we _both_ want, we may never truly get through everything because of the PTSD,” she corrected herself quietly before straightening her head, continuing in her earlier tone, “but, I wanted to start. I know this may take many, _many_ conversations and that it will take time to get through everything I remember that feels relevant… I'd rather start here, have Santa Cruz and wherever else be details we work through instead of the initial proverbial bomb.” **  
  
** Taking a visible breath, she finally turned to face him. Andrew nodded, not sure what to say exactly, his mind racing back to when they couldn't talk about what happened in France, how it nearly destroyed everything; before reaching over for her hand as the simplest answer floated through his heart, “ _Whatever_ you want to tell me, I'm _here_ ,” he answered as he squeezed her hand. **  
  
** “My earliest memories I was already in Kindergarten,” she began after a few moments. **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
****  
Monday, May 29** **th** **, 2017  
****Bodega Bay, California  
****3:26 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
**  
They had fallen asleep on the beach in the end.  
  
A fact Stephanie and Kyla had found quite a bit of fun teasing her about ever since they had returned to camp. When she had been awoken by the rising sun, she had found herself gently wrapped in one of his arms, her head on his chest while his other arm acted as his own pillow. She had spent a few minutes lost in memories and it had taken the cry of a seagull to make her realize she wasn't dreaming remembering past mornings in France, but instead was truly here and now, in California, _and_ in his arms again. **  
  
** It was a wonderful place to be even if it felt like a conundrum they'd have to discuss later, the endless questions of what was too fast… **  
  
** Andrew had quite honestly amazed her when she thought of the night they had spent, staying with her through the long hours as she talked. He had been perfect as she had slowly revealed the complicated nature of her childhood, a confusing mess of psychological, emotional, and yes even sexual, abuse that still left her having to remind herself that what she experienced _did_ classify as sexual abuse; _even_ if it seemed like almost nothing compared to stories of other victims you heard online, in books, or on television and in movies. It had been hard, as hard as she always feared it would be to explain her darkest secrets to another person, and yet as the night progressed through tears on her part, she found it was a little easier as more time passed. **  
  
** She explained how she already knew there was a chance certain innocent acts with her own children someday might be problematic, like trusting the father of her children when sharing a bathtub with said children. She knew not every man was actually comfortable himself with taking baths with his children for whatever reason, but also knew if her significant other was okay with it, she probably wouldn't be. Thankfully, Andrew had just nodded and explained he understood that one entirely after hearing how her innocent childhood baths had been corrupted psychologically long before her brain understood anything sexual, making those early years more something that haunted her after she went through Sex Ed. **  
  
** He had managed to hold back whatever he was thinking as she explained how puberty had been used against her as a means of making her choose between her friends and freedom versus her own comfortability as a preteen that left her fairly certain she would never be able to be one of those girls who did a striptease for their lover. His chuckle had been disconcerting until he explained that he had never found it all that exciting when an ex had insisted on trying it. Actually, he found the memories of helping her out of her corsets more erotic, he knew he'd never ask her to put on a show for him. **  
  
** She had an easier time explaining how she always had a safe spot she would go to if upset, a throwback to her childhood. How she couldn't stand the smell of any Budweiser products and couldn't deal with cleanup for any beer bottles or cans. Tom had been the unfortunate one to help her learn that particular quirk when she had a flip out after her 21st birthday party at the admittedly small collection of beer bottles sitting on the counter waiting to be rinsed and recycled the next morning.  
  
She also explained her habit of being a wallflower, _especially_ if she was stressed. Explained how she had pulled away from the girls the last year to avoid admitting she was doing as bad as she was, how her anxieties had been returning and what that meant exactly so he had a beginning of an understanding of just how much work she could be. Explained how she wasn't fond of crowds, with the strange exception of an amusement park which one would think would be worse and yet she was completely comfortable at a Disney Park, fairly okay at Six Flags, but could become overwhelmed at Wal-Mart and the college campuses. **  
  
** Eventually, he had gently put a stop to what had become rambles as she tried to explain everything that popped into her head, so sure she was forgetting something important, and simply held her as she finally broke. The next thing she had known it was morning, and they were waking with the sun. **  
  
** Andrew had begun waking a few minutes after her, became aware of their position as she had, and stared at her a few moments before smiling the beautiful smile she loved and wished her a good morning. **  
  
** They returned to have breakfast with the others, endured the teasing that followed, before Sasha announced they were “having a beach day, damn it”, and everyone prepared for time at the water. She and Sasha had worked on preparing a picnic lunch while the guys took separate turns in the tent to get changed, then Kyla and Stephanie took over the tent so they could change. Sasha used the time alone to quietly ask if she was alright, having known with about ten minutes notice what she had planned to do the night before. There were times she was truly thankful for Sasha, she had always known how to press without being too pushy. After promising to talk later, they had taken their turn to get changed and moved their gathering out to the beach. **  
  
** The day had been a lovely and wonderful way to forget the stress of the night before. She gathered seashells and they made sand sculptures while Stephanie buried Tom up to his chin. They had played in the surf, and she still wasn't entirely sure if she was ready to forgive Andrew for picking her up and racing out into the waves so they both ended up soaked and cold, but knew she was well on her way as she watched him chat with Sasha about Tolkien and try to find ways to fit in with her friends.  
  
How could she not simply love this man who accepted her as she was, tried to know her friends because they were her friends, and was willing to face her mother with her? It still caught her by surprise at times, just how little he had changed from Francis in the simple basic ways, but she was thankful every moment for this second chance, even if the cost was the childhood she had endured. **  
  
** She knew it wouldn't be easy, but maybe, just maybe, they would find a way to happiness regardless of her quirks. **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** May 30th, 2016 **  
  
** Dearest Rosie, **  
  
** So, the girls are annoying. They sprung a camping trip on me. With Andrew. At dawn. **  
  
** Oh, it was wonderful fun in the end, but they are completely annoying. **  
  
** And you would be proud of me. I told Andrew. Not everything, but the gist… it's a start, right? He was amazing about it all. Maybe there is hope for us... **  
  
** And yes he liked the pin, I think his father loved it more. His family is great. I absolutely love all his siblings. His mom seems really sweet, and it's interesting hearing the 'N'awlins accent that slips through. I have to see if she knows Creole or French, or both, and if anyone else does, perhaps we can have conversations in French and annoy everyone. **  
  
** Here's hoping mom gives Andrew half the chance his family gave me.  
  
He's going to come stay in Santa Cruz this week so we can spend time together, and then we have his graduation party next weekend. Then there's Steph and Tom’s graduation that Kyla and I were going to, and then mine. And somewhere in all that Andrew has offered to go with me to meet mom so the first time I see her isn't at graduation.  
  
Heaven help us both right? **  
  
** Hope you and Richard are doing well. Email me the info on the dresses so I can start working towards having mine for two Decembers! **  
  
** Love,  
Mary **  
  
** P.S. Disney World? **  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
****Tuesday, May 30** **th** **, 2017  
****Long Beach, California  
****12:43 p.m.  
  
****:-:-:-:-:-:  
  
** Claudia Johnson knew she had a small skip in her step as she walked through the halls of the building that housed the law firm she had been a part of for nearly twenty-five years. **  
  
** She always had a skip in her step when she won a case, especially if she won it by getting the parents to agree to work for the true best interest of the children. **  
  
** She smiled at her assistant, took the small stack of messages, and was about to continue on her way to her office when Lucille’s voice stopped her. “Your son is here, Claude.” **  
  
** She paused, took a step back to look at the older woman, “Donnie is here?” How her ten-year-old son got to her office on his own was about to be a problem. **  
  
** “Drew,” she corrected, and a part of Claudia relaxed while another part started up worrying. Andrew was _supposed_ to be up north with Rosemary. **  
  
** “Thanks, Lucy,” she smiled before continuing towards her office. **  
  
** She couldn't help being the same concerned mom who had cleaned up banged elbows and knees; coached him through disappointments while cheering his successes, and nursed her son through more than one breakup in the past. She had been surprised when Rachel had carried on half the night two years before, rambling about what her big brother had roped her into, and listened with bated breath as Rachel reported back while driving home from Sacramento all she had learned about a girl named Rosemary. **  
  
** She had known then, when Andrew _truly_ went all out for something as simple as a one-month anniversary, that this girl was different than all those before her. When he came home for Rachel’s graduation, he had looked miserable, and for the first time, she hadn't known how to help him. So she kept him home, thinking time would help, or at least get him talking... Which didn't work. **  
  
** Rachel had enough by August, and she had stayed in the hallway listening as her eldest daughter berated her eldest son for his behavior and set him straight. **  
  
**_Obviously,_ Rosemary Douglas had Rachel Johnson firmly in her corner. **  
  
** When he returned the following summer, and she admittedly was wrapped up in Arianna's condition and treatment, she had still been able to see that even if he wasn't perfect, he was better. She overheard her two eldest talking, learned he was still looking for his Rosemary to make his screw up right. **  
  
** Claudia prayed then that her son would find this girl because she didn't know if she could nurse him back from this heartbreak. When she shoved him and Rachel out the door to get back to school last August, she crossed her fingers that this time he would find the girl who brought out sides of her son she had never seen, sides she had brief glimpses of when he had been a child, had always known were lurking there, but hadn't had a reason to emerge, until _Her_. **  
  
** She hadn't been surprised to hear he was going to England when Rachel let her know that he had finally found Rosemary. She had looked at James and just taken the handkerchief he offered without question as they both faced the fact their son was growing up. **  
  
** She had been ecstatic for her son’s graduation, but that excitement doubled when Rachel explained at the stadium that the extra seat they had needed was for Rosemary. To watch her son with the woman he truly loved, it was a turning point, and she knew it. She truly liked Rosemary as she got to know the younger woman, and as they spent the evening together she and James had come to the same conclusion: they had just met their new daughter. Andrew and Rosemary may not have realized it yet, but it was obvious to any who watched them, they already acted like a couple who had been together for years, not the complicated path they had taken. **  
  
** So why her son would be here instead of in the Bay Area, or Santa Cruz like he texted was the plan, baffled her. **  
  
** “Hello darlin’,” she greeted as she walked in the room, not surprised to find him standing at the window overlooking the city. He had always been fascinated with the buildings and other architectural features of any city he visited, those of his hometown were old friends. “What brings you to my second home?” she asked as he turned towards her.  
  
She didn't like the gray tint to his blue eyes, she knew what _that_ meant. **  
  
** “Knowing you, you didn't truly have lunch yet,” Andrew began with a smile, “and I already checked, your schedule is clear for the next hour, so would you like to have lunch?” **  
  
** “Of course,” she smiled brightly, “this is a treat, where are we going?” She set the messages down, grabbed her purse from the coatrack as he moved to the door to meet her. **  
  
** “Wherever you want,” Andrew offered as he opened the door and stepped back so she could go first. **  
  
** They waved to Lucille and headed out of the building. She told him about the annual BBQ with his father's work friends and listened as he spoke about meeting Rosemary's friends and camping up north at the ocean while they walked to a nearby deli. Once they had sandwiches and drinks, they wandered to her favorite little park. **  
  
** Only once they were settled did she look at her son, take a deep breath, and ask what was wrong. **  
  
** “I can’t just want to visit my mother?” Andrew asked, glancing at her before returning his attention to his sandwich. **  
  
** “Darlin’, I love you, but your father and I were fairly certain we wouldn’t see hide nor hair or you until _after_ Rosemary was settled in Irvine. And even then, we expected to not see you much on the weekends for the foreseeable future… _So_ , let’s try this again shall we?” she gave him a pointed look as he looked back up at her. **  
  
** “How do you do it?” he asked after a moment. “I know most of your cases are clear-cut, simple parents split and you’re working to make sure the kids get what’s best…” he paused, looked away before focusing back on her. “How do you cope with the stories you hear from the ones that aren’t that easy, the ones where parents hurt their kids?” **  
  
** Claudia frowned slightly, wondering what had lead to this question, but took a deep breath and let it go, choosing to focus on his question and ignore the haunted look to his eyes. “I _listen_ , no matter how hard it is to hear, no matter how much I may want to scream, and cry, and argue the injustice of it all. I listen, because that’s what _they_ need when they have to talk about it, or want to talk about it, whichever is the case. I take it in, I let them see the same calm, caring person I was when they started no matter how much inside I’m raging against whoever hurt them. And, at the end of the day, I go home and hug whichever of my children I can, I curl up with your father and let him hold me while I let it go. It’s not easy, in fact, it’s _hard as hell_ some days. But those kids have already been through hell, I’m not gonna make it worse for them.” **  
  
** “Oh,” he spoke softly, looked between his food, the park, then back to her. **  
  
** “What happened Andrew?” she prodded gently, “Why ask me this now sweetheart?” **  
  
** He glanced away, sighed again, “I’m trying to figure out how to cope.” **  
  
** “Cope?” Claudia echoed, her frown deepening, “Did something happen to Rosemary?” she asked softly, as her brain started making connections. **  
  
** “Years ago,” he confirmed softly, sadly. “She warned me when we started dating before she agreed to start dating actually, that she had been through something. After London, we agreed we’d have to talk about it as she is very afraid of having a freakout as she puts it. Of upsetting me _because_ she had a freakout.” **  
  
** “I’m guessing she started talking on the camping trip,” Claudia spoke, fully getting the picture now. **  
  
** “Yeah,” Andrew nodded, “I’m not upset at her, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t let her see how much I was upset by it all… but I _really_ want to find her former stepfather and just beat the shit out of him,” he looked over at her helplessly. **  
  
** “I know that feeling,” she couldn’t help but smile slightly. “And it might make us feel better to hurt them, but it wouldn’t _truly_ make it all better sweetheart.” **  
  
** “I _know_ ,” he sighed again, looked away, “I don’t know if I can keep her from finding out that it is upsetting me, not forever…” he admitted after a few minutes of silence. “It’s not _her_ I’m mad at…” **  
  
** “But you _are_ upset,” Claudia interjected, “And you have _every_ right to be,” she continued, taking the shocked look he swung her way in stride. “Andrew, darlin’, you _love_ this girl. You have a right to be upset that some asshole hurt her, and whether it was a small hurt or a large one, that doesn't matter. Point is, this guy _hurt_ the girl you love, and it’s _human nature_ to want to protect what we love. You can’t change what happened, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t going to be upset about it…. upset that it happened to _her_ ; upset that you _can’t_ fix it; upset that it’s something that you two are going to have to work through potentially at a _very_ slow rate if you are going to make this relationship work. And in truth sweetheart, _even_ when you think you guys have worked through it, you can never know that it won’t reappear down the road, and that’s going to probably bring it all back if it does.” **  
  
** “So what _do_ I do?” he asked softly, and she was looking at her six-year-old boy again, who was afraid of upsetting the girl who kept following him around the playground and was “annoying as can be”. **  
  
** “You _be_ there,” she smiled sadly, “You let her explain things, and you listen so you can learn what _you_ need to know to understand her better. And as hard as it is, you _let_ her see that it’s upsetting you, you make sure she knows that it’s _not_ her that you’re upset with, but you don’t hide if something _is_ upsetting you. You do, she’s going to start wondering when the shoe will drop, and that _will_ build a wedge. On the other hand, you’re going to have to find a way to balance your anger with understanding, because just going off on yelling sprees _won’t_ help either most likely. And it _won’t_ be easy Andrew, it’s going to be a rough climb uphill for _both_ of you. As long as you are honest with each other, you’ll find your way.” **  
  
** Andrew nodded slowly, “Thanks Mom,” he spoke after a few moments. **  
  
** “Anytime sweetheart,” she answered honestly, reaching out to give his hand a squeeze before going back to her sandwich, watching from the corner of her eye as he ate some of his; she ate and waited. **  
  
** “You and Dad know she’s that important to me after one meeting?” he asked after a while, looking back at her with confusion. **  
  
** “Darlin’, you flew to England to fix things with her,” she countered with a laugh. “Still not sure how you two ended up on the outs for two years, when it’s obvious to anyone who watches the two of you together that she looks at you like you’re the sun and moon wrapped up in one and you worship the ground she walks on,” she shrugged. “Not sure it’s any of my business what happened, and I’m not gonna go prying for answers, neither is your father. We’d be blind though if we didn’t walk away from your graduation without an understanding of what this girl means to you.” **  
  
** He ducked his head slightly, and she had to fight a smirk at the red shade his ears took. “She's really important to me. From the first time, I saw her I was drawn to her. When I look back on almost two years we lost, I really can do nothing but blame myself. Rosemary insists it was both of our doing, and I can see how she wants to take some of the blame… she was the one who told me to stay away while I worked things out in my own head… If I hadn't been so stubborn, maybe we wouldn't have lost so much time.” **  
  
** “She sent you away,” Claudia frowned before shaking her head, “nope, I don't want to know, I'm staying out of it.” **  
  
** Andrew laughed, and she shot him the look that would have once stopped him mid-laugh, back when he feared his mother. “It's going to gnaw at you and drive you crazy,” he announced with a smirk. **  
  
** “Yes, yes it will,” she agreed, “ _however_ , it is not my story to pry into. If you and Rosemary decide you are okay with me or your father, or anyone knowing. Then I'll eagerly listen,” she paused, sighed, “Until then, I will deal and simply enjoy getting to know her.” **  
  
** “You amaze me some days,” Andrew shook his head, “One of these days I’m sure we’ll fill you in on the gist of things, but for now…” he trailed off, shrugged slightly. “So how are things here?” **  
  
** “Oh, they’re just the usual. Finishing out the school year for Ari and Donnie, preparing for your party…” she explained with a smile, fully expecting his coming reaction. **  
  
** “Oh _Mom_ ,” he groaned, “Tell me you guys aren’t making it into a huge deal…” **  
  
** “Our firstborn graduates from college with his degree in engineering and we _aren’t_ supposed to make a big deal out of it?” she just looked at him. **  
  
** “Tell me you guys _haven’t_ invited everyone you know from work or from Dad’s work…” he pleaded. **  
  
** “No, we kept it, close friends and family, only,” she confirmed. **  
  
** “Thank God,” Andrew sighed, “I love you, but I’d rather _not_ feel like I’m at some grand function.” **  
  
** “I know, and I understand. However, I _can’t_ promise you won’t have that sort of event when you get engaged some day. Of course, then you might appreciate all the engagement gifts…” she shrugged. **  
  
** Andrew blinked once, then a second time, “Mom, you are a scary, _scary_ woman. You’ve been plotting our engagements for years, haven’t you?” **  
  
** “Of course,” Claudia smiled, “It will be the kind of fete that will make _my_ side of the family proud.” **  
  
** “Note to self, don’t get engaged _anyway_ near Mardi Gras,” Andrew laughed. **  
  
** “Ruin my fun,” Claudia snapped her fingers but was happy to see the dark clouds have left her son’s eyes. Stealing a glance at her watch she sighed softly, “Well darlin’, I’m afraid I have to cut this lovely lunch short.” **  
  
** “It’s okay,” Andrew smiled, snatched her garbage and rose to go throw hers away with his own. She gathered her things while he made his way back over, “I should get to Santa Cruz anyway…” **  
  
** Claudia smiled, raised a hand to rest on her son’s cheek, “Have a wonderful week sweetheart. I’ll see you at your party…” **  
  
** “If I didn’t show, you’d probably send the police after me,” he countered with a smirk. “Thanks, Mom, for everything,” he continued a moment later. **  
  
** “Anytime darlin’, anytime,” Claudia reached forward to give him a hug. “Don’t worry Drew, you’ll find a way to get through it all. Just be honest.” **  
  
** “I know,” he whispered against her hair. “Love you, Mom.” **  
  
** “Love you too sweetheart,” she echoed, then stepped back. **  
  
** “So knowing your love of this place, I took a chance and actually parked over here,” he glanced across the park and she followed his gaze to spot the familiar blue of her son’s fifteenth birthday present that he spent a year working on with James to restore before his sixteenth birthday. When they went up for his graduation, James drove the ‘67 Camaro to leave with Andrew so he could get home when he was ready. Or apparently when he felt the need to just talk to his mom, not that she wasn’t grateful he had the car when he apparently needed it most. **  
  
** “Well then, I will see you the morning of your party, agreed?” she smiled as she looked back at him. **  
  
** “That’s the plan,” Andrew nodded. “Give Dad and the sibs my love.” **  
  
** “Will do,” she agreed before he sent a grin her way and headed off towards his car. Claudia watched him go for a minute, then shook her head and made her own way back to her office. Maybe she should start contemplating that invite list to an engagement party… It didn’t hurt to start ahead of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's been one of those weeks you wish you actually lived back in Mary's time and could banish family members from your sight, or at least had the concept that communication took weeks... so you'd have time to just process and deal with all the stuff coming your way...
> 
> However, I did get the new chapter posted lol, I hope everyone enjoys.
> 
> Epilogue next week, and the sequel story the week after that!


	13. Epilogue

**:-:-:-:-:-:  
** **Epilogue  
** **:-:-:-:-:-:  
**  
**:-:-:-:-:-:  
**  
**Friday, June 2** **nd** **, 2017  
** **Rolling Hills, California  
** **4:26 p.m.  
**  
**:-:-:-:-:-:  
**  
It had been a busy week since they left their weekend at the beach and returned to real life. **  
**  
Andrew had opted to take a ride home with Stephanie and Tom when it was offered for Monday night, with a promise to be in Santa Cruz by dinner time on Tuesday. The three girls had enjoyed one more night on the beach and got up Tuesday morning to pack everything up. They spent a fun drive together singing songs on their way to San Francisco where Kyla departed to return to her life and the two continued on to Santa Cruz. Sasha helped her get settled in the room she had arranged previously, then made her way back home. **  
**  
Andrew had arrived in time for dinner as promised, and they spent a quiet evening just playing games and talking about the week to come. **  
**  
It wasn’t until Wednesday afternoon as they sat around his hotel room after she had the first of her meetings to make sure everything was processed properly for her degree, that he revealed that he had gone to see his mother on his way to Santa Cruz. Long talks had followed over the next two days where Andrew admitted that he was afraid of upsetting her if he showed that he was upset about what happened to her, not at her or over the things she suspected she would have trouble with, but with Him. **  
**  
She, in turn, had explained other things about her life. **  
**  
She had explained what it was like growing up with Lorenzo Rinaldi and his family. She may not have had siblings, but at one time she had thirty first-cousins split between eight aunts and uncles, another forty second-cousins divided among Lorenzo’s ten cousins, and the Matriarch of the family Isabella Rosaline Ronaldi as her _only_ grandparent. She spent endless hours in the kitchen learning to cook with the other girls once she turned ten, and even more hours through the years surrounded by the other kids as they were always put in a separate room for play and even meals. **  
**  
Losing all that had nearly destroyed her at fourteen, as her fear of destroying her family with the truth, was realized. Lorenzo's siblings and most of his cousins dropped all communication with her before her fifteenth birthday, their children, of course, vanishing with them. The small few that lasted longer stopped by the time she was sixteen. Contact with Isabella ceased the day of her son's sentencing. It took until she was twenty to accept it all, to start cooking Italian again. She had learned to forgive their choice, accept that for whatever reason they hadn't been able to keep in contact with her. **  
**  
Mary Douglas wasn't as understanding, so she had learned to avoid mentioning anything from the past with Lorenzo or his family. **  
**  
Ironically, it was because of Lorenzo that she was able to do college, to make it all work on a Batista's salary. Lorenzo Rinaldi had been the perfect husband and father, with the obvious exception of his apparent impression of fatherhood. He did everything right, had a good job so he could completely support the family; they didn't live in the rich side of town, but the house they lived in was theirs free and clear. She didn't have every advantage a rich kid could, but she never knew what it was to go without something needed. And after he had married her mother, a trust fund was started for her college education, one that was added to every month for over thirteen years, including extra at Christmas. When she gained access to it at eighteen, she had already been applying for scholarships and grants, not realizing it still existed, so when she learned what she had, she had carefully mapped it out to get through her five-year plan. She had enough to cover her year in Irvine, with a bit extra in case she had trouble getting a job right away. Her plan was for the extra to go toward a trip to celebrate finishing her degree if she didn't need it to get through her final year. Lorenzo may have been an ass, and completely messed her up in some ways, but he had done what everyone else in his family had, as was expected, and provided financially for his “family”. **  
**  
She warned him that her using the trust was a bone of contention with her mother, so if Maryanne Douglas did say something, he wouldn't be blindsided. She warned him about more than a few quirks about her mother since he insisted on going with her to see her mother. **  
**  
She had purposely called her mother while she wasn't with him to establish initial contact, listening as Maryanne rambled about how worried she had been, how she would have flown to England herself if she could have, listened as Maryanne muttered about only getting postcards for holidays, how unfair that had been. She had apologized, as needed, then suggested meeting for dinner in Napa on Sunday. Maryanne had been confused how she was going to get to Napa, then went on another ramble about getting to finally meet the guy all her friends had already met when Rosemary explained she and Andrew were going to Napa that morning. **  
**  
Andrew had been more than a little annoyed that she put herself through that call alone after he had promised he’d be there through the hard things with her mom, knowing how stressed she was about it. That led to another long talk where Andrew had made his point that he _wanted_ to be able to be there whenever she needed someone that he could be. He wanted to support her through the hard times, the rough times, and any time she needed, even if it was just a hand to hold while she did all the hard stuff herself. She, in turn, had explained her fear of leaning on him too much if she started leaning on anyone. **  
**  
She had been a really screwed up teenager, constantly letting others take lead because it was easier. She had to fight to leave home after graduation, the first real fight she ever did. Even reporting Lorenzo and the trial had been mostly something she just did as she was told during; telling the counselor had been an act of fear, the only fight she had during that time was the fight to keep anyone from knowing details… thankfully the D.A. and Officers involved had understood and agreed to her wishes so it hadn't been much of a fight. After she left home, it was a struggle to find her own two feet, to let go of the scared girl she had become used to being, to bring out parts of that strength she knew in her dreams, the strength she had in her first life she now knew. She wasn't nearly as strong as she had been, she knew that. And because she knew that, she was afraid if she gave in and didn't keep pushing herself, then she'd revert back to the scared girl. **  
**  
They had gone back and forth, trying to find a way to compromise, and had come to a tentative agreement. She would tell him how she was doing, not be afraid to lean a little or ask for him if she needed support and wanted his. He would make sure to push her if it looked like she was starting to stop doing things herself as much, just enough to get her talking. **  
**  
It wasn't all that different than a talk they had in their first life when he promised that he would pressure her, fight with her and for her, argue with her, and love her to the day he died. Which led to the realizations they had kept many promises from their first life. She had once said she would remember every word and moment, that she always would; and she was the one to remember everything into this life. He had said he would love her forever in his final letter, and here they were. **  
**  
It was a nice realization and left them on a happier note as Thursday had passed with him job hunting online while she did another round of meetings, verifying everything had arrived from Bristol, as well as phone meetings for her new program in Irvine. She wouldn't be able to attend Orientation due to it being the same day as her Commencement ceremony, thankfully she found another potential student willing to record it for her and the school was letting it slide since she was doing both summer sessions this year. **  
**  
Then it was Friday. **  
**  
Andrew showed up at the place she was renting a room in by eight so they could start the drive to Rolling Hills, where his family actually lived. His mother worked in Long Beach, and they had gone to school in Long Beach, but the family had moved to Rolling Hills before he turned ten, most people as a general rule just didn’t know where Rolling Hills was, especially in Northern California, so he had long started saying he was from Long Beach to avoid confusion. They drove with the top down on his ‘67 Camaro, lovingly restored by him and his dad the year he was fifteen, and blasted 60’s music as they drove down the winding roads along the coast. She had been glad she was wise enough to grab a scarf for her hair before she locked up her room that morning, the drive was wonderful, but the wind would have done worse to her hair than it had to Andrew’s, and it had done one heck of a job on his curls by the time they arrived at his parent's house. **  
**  
Rosemary had been made aware more than once that Andrew came from money, so, logically she thought she had been prepared to see any sort of grand house, especially in southern California. Logic hadn't stopped her from simply staring at the home as Andrew drove up the long driveway to it. Andrew had chuckled when he walked around to where she stood just staring at the large home spread over what she figured had to be several acres atop a bluff, reaching out he had taken her hand to lead her to it. **  
**  
They hadn't gotten a third of the way from the driveway to the house when the door burst open, a tumble of limbs and bodies as Arianna and Donovan fought to get out of the house first. She had started to chuckle, thinking they were excited to see their brother, when it was her name they started yelling as they raced over to where the two had stopped at the commotion. She had looked at Andrew who was grinning and focused back on the two as they stopped in front of them, eagerly asking if she had brought the games and movies. **  
**  
She had been thankful she packed a handful of them in one of her suitcases meant for Santa Cruz the night she met them and directed the two towards the bag she had left in the car. By the time they had made it inside where Claudia was waiting to greet them with a smile, Donovan and Arianna were taking both her and Andrew’s bags inside while discussing the best place to set up the games and movies later. **  
**  
Claudia took her on a tour of the house while Andrew was sent to set up tables in the backyard with his father, showing her around the downstairs with it’s large living room and windows looking out over the hills and canyons, the kitchen that opened to the family room was a bustle of activity: the staff hired for the day busy preparing hors d'oevres and other things to enjoy at the party. Upstairs was the master bedroom, as pointed out at a closed door, and four more bedrooms. She got to peek into each, identifying the owner easily enough and spotted Andrew’s suitcase in his room. She had turned to Claudia confused, as Andrew had insisted there was a place for her to stay the night, after spotting that each room had a designated occupant in a family member, understandable but not explaining where she was to stay as she hadn’t seen her bag anywhere. **  
**  
Claudia had smiled, led her back downstairs and into the large patio area that was accessible from the living room and family room in more than one location. It was beautifully landscaped, and she smiled and waved at James as he and Andrew set up tables and umbrellas while Rachel, and who she later learned was Rachel’s boyfriend Max, went around setting up the tables. They followed the steps down to where the pool was, and Claudia had led her into what she thought was the poolhouse, only to discover it was a guest house, and there she found her own bag. **  
**  
Claudia left her to unpack, suggesting they use the living space of the guest house for movies and games later, and returned to her job of arranging everything for the party. Rosemary had pulled the movies and games out, set them on the counter in the kitchenette, then went to find Andrew and offer her services for the setup. Together they all quickly got everything arranged, then had a quiet lunch, laughing and joking. After lunch, Andrew stole her away to show her around the rest of the property, leading her down the long walk past the pool to where, to her surprise, the stable stood. She had turned and simply stared at him as he smirked and shrugged, he had never mentioned horses before, but had great enjoyment introducing her to the three that lived on the property. There was a Clydesdale mare, named Maple who tried to follow them through the barn, and Andrew explained would follow any of them around if given the chance; a pure black Gypsy Vanner male named Onyx, who was his mother and Rachel’s pride and joy; and Gray Lusitano stallion named Perseus. Perseus was the first horse the family bought, James hadn’t been able to walk away after seeing him on set when Andrew had been four. **  
**  
After a promise to go for a ride in the future, even though she had never been in a horse in this life and repeatedly told him that, they made their way back to the house to wait for guests to arrive. **  
**  
Rosemary had been thankful for Rachel, Andrew had spent what time he could with her and was obviously happy to be able to introduce her to everyone as “his Rosemary”, but had to spend time with everyone there to see him. Rachel and Max volunteered to keep her company and help navigate the large gathering of family and friends. **  
**  
Eventually, Arianna and Donovan had appeared, begging for an escape from 'old people'. Twenty minutes later they were playing Monopoly in the guest house, the five of them laying around the Firefly edition. **  
**  
By the time Andrew got a chance to look for them, it had grown from the three Johnson siblings, Max, and herself, to a much larger group as most of Andrew's friends from college had joined them. **  
**  
Rosemary had been the first to hear Andrew's quiet chuckle. “Explain how this works?” **  
**  
“Follow the arrows?” she smiled up at him. **  
**  
“Dude, your girl has the _craziest_ ideas for Monopoly,” Jessie announced from his spot around the three Monopoly boards set side by side. **  
**  
“Awesome ideas though,” Daniel added. **  
**  
“Wait till we teach them Mad Quao,” Rosemary chuckled. **  
**  
“Aren't there too many of us for Mad Quao?” Andrew looked around the collection of his siblings, all his buddies from college, and his sister's boyfriend. **  
**  
“True,” Rosemary agreed, taking the dice to take her turn in the mad game of multi-board Monopoly they were playing. “Figured we'd teach them in small groups. Your family tomorrow, some collection of these guys at a future date,” she waved her free hand towards his friends. **  
**  
Andrew nodded, “Now that sounds like a reasonable plan. I was sent to inform you all that the dinner buffet has been set out.” **  
**  
“Mom threatened to hunt us down and force feed us if we don't come?” Rachel quizzed. **  
**  
“Exactly,” Andrew smirked. “So pause your game and come eat.” **  
**  
“My turn when we get back!” Donovan announced as he snagged the dice from his sister, set them with his stack of money, then darted out for food. **  
**  
Andrew stepped aside, watching his sisters leave with Max, then his friends head out en masse. “I think you've won them all over,” he smiled at her as she walked over to where he stood. **  
**  
“I like them, they play games and don't sit on their phones constantly. All we have to do is teach them manners about walking in a group.” **  
**  
Andrew chuckled and placed a kiss to her forehead, “We'll have a seminar for them,” he offered as he held out his arm. **  
**  
“I don't need the practice,” she laughed as she slipped her arm in his and they started out of the small house. **  
**  
“They're the perfect practice for middle school boys,” he countered with a grin. **  
**  
“You're horrible,” Rosemary smiled and shook her head. “So what's for dinner?” **  
**  
“Mom got my favorite foods,” he grinned. **  
**  
“So we are basically being catered by Red Lobster?” **  
**  
“Pretty much,” Andrew chuckled. “With a salad bar.” **  
**  
“So, Sizzler?” she corrected. **  
**  
“Exactly, so come and we shall eat steak and shrimp, and all the salad you want.” **  
**  
“Even the way I eat steak?” Rosemary smirked. **  
**  
Andrew shuddered, “I'm sure they will even cook it the way you like it, you strange creature you.” **  
**  
“Yea,” she answered, simply, amused to no end by his reaction to the fact she liked her steaks done medium rare. **  
**  
“I must love you,” Andrew smiled down at her. **  
**  
“Couldn't imagine your life without me,” she sing-songed as she danced away, giggling as he dashed after her up the steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone.
> 
> Thank you for coming along on this trip with me, for all the reviews and kudos. They've meant the world.
> 
> So this is the end of part 1 of their story, I'm currently working on a final edit through of part 2, and hope to have it started being posted next weekend. I plan to keep the once a week schedule to give time for any changes, but we will see. 
> 
> Until the next part...

**Author's Note:**

> Koi no Yokan is a Japanese phrase referencing the sudden knowledge when you meet a person that the two of you are destined to fall in love.
> 
>  
> 
> This story is under Reign as a category, but the only characters that show up (at this point at least), are Francis and Mary; it's my own spin on what if reincarnation exists, and what if they could get a second chance. How much of them would be the same, how much of them would be different?
> 
> P.S. In case it's not obvious, I don't own Reign, or anything you recognize. I'm just playing with the characters.


End file.
